No Words To Describe
by Greenwood Dancer
Summary: COMPLETE! The new girl in Yugi's school is deaf. She is shy and doesn't participate in much with the group, despite the fact that she seems to want to. When Yami comes out to meet her, he realizes that she's hiding something... (Yami-OC) R&R PLEASE!
1. The New Girl

a/n: Okay, beginning chapter of my new fiction. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!  
  
I really do know the sign language alphabet, so if in the future I go into it, I'm telling the truth about what the gestures are.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
"Did you hear? There's a new kid coming today!"  
  
"I know! I wonder who it is!"  
  
"Maybe it's a girl! She'd be really cool and love to just hang out."  
  
"Forget girl! Maybe it's a guy! A totally hot guy!"  
  
"Nah. I heard the principle talking to Miss. Cheyenne. It's definitely a girl."  
  
"No, I heard boy."  
  
The news had spread like wildfire and Yami and Yugi were getting tired of hearing about the new kid. They were curious, but they weren't obsessed. They'd find out when the time came.  
  
The bell rang and Yugi sat down in his seat between Joey and Tea. Joey waved and Yugi did the same to the both of them as the teacher entered.  
  
"Attention class!" he said. "We have a new student. She comes here from New York City and I hope you all will be kind to her. Come in." Mr. Gallmarray motioned for her to come in as there were a few groans in the room from a few girls. They had been hoping for a guy.  
  
Yami watched through his counter-part's eyes as the door to the class room opened. He saw a few of the other guys' jaws drop as she entered, while some of the girls snickered. He himself remained emotionless as she entered.  
  
"I'd like you all to meet Katrina Lakewood."  
  
Katrina had long black hair that cascaded around her face in soft waves and eyes that were dark and full of fear as she stood in front of the class, all eyes on her. She wore a red sweater with jeans and sneakers.  
  
"Miss. Katrina, why don't you take the seat behind Yugi Motou there," Mr. Gallmarray said, placing a hand gently on her back and urging her forward. He pointed to Yugi who noticed Katrina's eyes flick to his hand nervously. Many girls in the class would die to have him touch them.  
  
Jonathan Gallmarray was a tall, good looking man in his mid-twenties. He had sandy hair with bangs that came down to just above his eyebrows and soft eyes that made a number of girls melt.  
  
Yugi gave Katrina a reassuring smile as she sat down behind him. She tried to return it, but it came out as more of a grimace.  
  
"In fact, Mr. Motou, why don't you be the one to show Miss. Katrina around?" the teacher said.  
  
"Sure!" Yugi replied, turning in his seat and giving Katrina a thumbs up. "This place isn't as bad as you think. You'll get used to it," he said to her. Katrina nodded nervously and took out her notebook as the class started.  
  
~$~  
  
Katrina entered the cafeteria, only to have nearly half of it turn to look at her. Her stomach quivered with stage fright, even though she was nowhere near a stage. She hated being to object of attention.  
  
She was considering turning and running out the door, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see Yugi standing there.  
  
"Hi!" he said. "Do you want to come sit with me and my friends?"  
  
Katrina nodded after a second and followed him to a table with four others sitting there.  
  
"This is Katrina you guys. Katrina, this is Joey, Tristan, Bakura and Tea," Yugi said, indicating each as he introduced them.  
  
Katrina gave a weak smile as she sat down. She hesitated for a second before making a few movements with her hands. She already knew the answer, but it was worth a shot.  
  
The others stared at her.  
  
- What was that? - Yugi thought.  
  
Yami recognized it though. - Sign language, Yugi. Katrina's deaf! -  
  
- How do I talk to her then? What do I say? How can she understand me? - Yugi was beginning to panic slightly.  
  
- She must be able to lip read. -  
  
"You... you're deaf?" Yugi asked, this time him being the nervous one. How do you ask someone something like that?"  
  
Katrina had been watching him and the others diligently. She nodded and dug into her schoolbag for her notebook. Tearing out a number of pages, she pulled out a pen.  
  
Yugi, who was sitting beside her watched as she wrote. When she passed it to him, he looked at it. Yami, also curious as to what this girl had to say, looked through Yugi's eyes at her note.  
  
Her cursive must have been the most beautiful they had ever seen. It was graceful and had a few rather large loops here and there. It looked somewhat antique. Concentrating on the words she had written, he read aloud.  
  
"'I am deaf, due to unfortunate circumstances. I don't take it any of you know sign language, so we will have to use paper as a means of communication... if you are even interested at this point.' What do you mean if we're interested?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Do you think we won't want to hang out with you because you're deaf?" Tea asked. Katrina blushed slightly and looked at the table. Taking the paper back from Yugi, she wrote a few words.  
  
This time Joey took it from across the table. "'It wouldn't be the first time.' That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Why would someone exclude you because of a handicap that is so easy to overcome?" Tea inquired.  
  
Katrina took the paper and once more took her pen to it. She then pushed it to Tea, who read it aloud. "'Because it's too much trouble to talk to me.' That's stupid. It's not too much trouble to talk to you."  
  
Katrina smiled and looked down at her hands.  
  
"How come you're deaf anyway? What was the unfortunate circumstance?" Tristan asked.  
  
When Katrina made no movement to respond, even when she lifted her head to them, he stared at her, confused.  
  
"She couldn't hear you, Tristan. She has to be able to read your lips. Ask her again now," Yugi said.  
  
Tristan caught her attention by waving his hand and repeated his question. She waved her own hand as if to say it was nothing.  
  
"So you weren't deaf from birth?" Tea asked.  
  
Katrina seemed slightly unnerved as she shook her head.  
  
- You should stop talking about her handicap, Yugi. I think it's making her uncomfortable, - Yami said, though he too was interested as to what had happened.  
  
Yugi put a hand up behind Katrina's head to signal his friends to stop and they changed the subject quickly.  
  
"Do you want to hang out after school?" Tea asked. "We're going to go over to Yugi's for a while."  
  
Katrina seemed interested for a moment, but then shook her head, looking down at her hands. She reached for the paper and began to write.  
  
Yugi took it when she finished and read aloud. "'I can't. I promised Mom and Dad I'd go home and help with the chores.' Oh. Well, maybe tomorrow," he said.  
  
"Come on. We don't want to be late for Miss. Grayonia's class," Joey said, standing. He scowled at the name of his history teacher's name. She was well hated throughout the school and seemed to enjoy it. She was strict and very often could be quite mean.  
  
Yugi nodded. "What class do you have next, Katrina?"  
  
Katrina pointed to Joey to indicate she had the same, before grabbing the paper and pen on last time.  
  
"'And call me Kitty,'" Tea read with a smile. "Sure thing, Kitty." The deaf girl beamed at her new friends.  
  
As they headed to their next class, Kitty began to teach them the sign language alphabet. Joey was having problems, but the rest of them knew A through E by the time they reached history class. They would proceed tomorrow they assessed as they took their seats in the one class they all shared.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
a/n: Please read and review my first chapter! There will be more and it will get more interesting as it goes. I will post chapter number two very soon.  
  
P.S. I also have a fiction, Dilemma, that is in progress. At the moment it has two chapters up. Please read and review that one as well. That will have a sequel later on, but I won't start it until Dilemma is complete. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! 


	2. Fun in the Park

a/n: Okay, second chapter! Hope you like and don't forget to review at the end!  
  
Also, be sure to read my other fic, Dilemma. Explanation on how to get to it at the bottom of this chapter.  
  
(Disclaimer) I think I forgot to put this in my first chapter. Oh well, here it is now. I wish I could take credit for coming up with the awesome Yu-Gi-Oh characters, but I can't. Oh, well. Life is never fair.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"You know that new girl? Katrina?"  
  
"Yeah! Isn't she deaf or something?"  
  
"Exactly. I feel bad for her."  
  
"There's a rumor going around that she's faking."  
  
"That's dumb. How can you fake being deaf?"  
  
"She knows sign language! That is so cool!"  
  
"Not if you don't know sign language. How could you talk to her?"  
  
All this talk of Katrina was getting to Yugi's nerves. She couldn't hear it, even though the gang of gossiping girls were sitting just behind her in the cafeteria. Yugi couldn't stand the fact that they were talking about her behind her back and there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't even know!  
  
He got up from his seat beside Kitty and went over to them. She didn't notice; she was writing to Tristan.  
  
"Hey!" he said to the girls. They looked up from their huddle and laughed. The popular girls always caused problems for everyone.  
  
"Check it out! What do you want, shrimp?" the leader asked, while her crew snickered stupidly.  
  
"Stop talking about Katrina. She's a nice girl and she doesn't deserve to have rumors spread about her. How would you feel if it were you?" Yugi said, ignoring her comment.  
  
"Oooh, macho midget," the girl said in mock terror. "Looks like someone's got a crush."  
  
"I do not," Yugi said. "It's wrong for you to be talking about her like that. You don't know her."  
  
"Yeah, and I'd like to keep it that way," she said. The other four girls laughed and agreed with stupid phrases like, "Uh, yeah," and "That is so true."  
  
"She's better off without you anyway. But don't spread anything around. She's got enough problems already."  
  
"And what are you going to do if we do start something?" she asked, her face serious as she stood. Yugi found himself looking up at her and some of his confidence wore away.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Kitty looked over her shoulder and saw Yugi talking to a group of five girls at the table behind her. Not bothering to read their lips, she went to her paper.  
  
"'Yugi's got some friends,'" Tristan read. He looked over Kitty's shoulder and groaned. "Those aren't his friends, Kitty. Hey! Yugi! Come back here!" he called, waving for Yugi to come back.  
  
Kitty turned in her seat in time to see Yugi give the girl who was standing a glare and come back to sit beside her. Bending over her paper, she put her pen to it.  
  
"'Who were they?' The popular girls," Yugi said, distaste in his voice. Kitty took the paper from him and a few seconds later, passed it back. "'Why were you talking to them?' I just had to settle something." When Kitty turned back to the paper, Yugi mouthed to his friends, "I'll tell you later."  
  
Tristan nodded and Joey looked confused, but none of them said anything more about it.  
  
****************************************  
  
"You want to come over?" Joey asked as they exited the school. She nodded, but then shook her head. "What does that mean?"  
  
Tea, who was standing behind Joey, spoke. "I think she means she'd like to, but she can't."  
  
Kitty pointed to her as if to say, "Yup."  
  
"Why can't you? We're all going," Tristan said.  
  
The deaf girl made a motion like she was sweeping the floor.  
  
"You have to go sweep the floor?" Yugi asked, confused.  
  
- I think she means she has chores to do, - Yami said.  
  
Yugi nodded in reply to Yami. "When you get done with your chores can you come over?"  
  
Kitty shook her head.  
  
"Why not?" Tristan asked.  
  
She dug in her pocket for a piece of paper and a pencil. Using her hand as a table, she began to write.  
  
Joey took it and read aloud. "'Dad says I can't go out on school nights.' That's a bummer." She nodded.  
  
"Hey, tomorrow's Saturday! You can come over then!" Yugi said excitedly. Kitty went back to the paper, then handed it to Yugi. "'I'll ask him, and then can I call you tomorrow with the answer?' Sure, here's my number," he said, writing it on the paper. Kitty gave him a thumbs up as she put it in her pocket. With that, they exchanged good-byes and she began to walk away.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Kitty's really nice," Yugi said. He was in his room, standing beside a transparent Yami.  
  
Yami simply nodded.  
  
"I wonder how she became deaf. She said it wasn't from birth."  
  
"It could have been a sickness," Yami said, considering it.  
  
"Like Helen Keller?" Yugi asked and his counter-part nodded again. "I suppose so."  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Kitty's mother had called earlier to say her daughter would meet them at the park.  
  
"You bet!" Yugi said enthusiastically.  
  
Yami chuckled and faded into the younger boy.  
  
###########################  
  
The Night Before...  
  
"Is dad home yet?" Kitty signed to her mother.  
  
"No. You had better do your chores," Mrs. Lakewood replied.  
  
"Before I do, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure," her mother said.  
  
"I have some friends who want me to hang out with them tomorrow. Can I please?" Kitty signed with a pleading expression on her face.  
  
"All right. I'll tell your father," Mrs. Lakewood said. Her daughter jumped up and hugged her. "Yes, you're welcome, now go do your chores before he gets home."  
  
With that, Kitty ran to get the broom. Eliza Lakewood had never seen her daughter that anxious to do chores before.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
"Where is she?" Joey asked, leaning against a tree.  
  
"She said she'd be here," Yugi said. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder that nearly made him pass out from fright. "Oh! It's you!" he said in relief as he saw Kitty standing there, laughing at his expression. It was an odd sound and it took Yugi a minute to realize that it was because she couldn't hear her voice to judge what it sounded like.  
  
Kitty nodded and raised her shoulders as if to say, "Now what?"  
  
Joey shrugged and Tea and Tristan spread their hands to say that they didn't know. Before Yugi could say anything, Kitty had walked past him to Joey.  
  
"What the...?" he started, but she hit him in the shoulder and backed away from the group a few steps. "Hey! What was that for?"  
  
She made a motion for him to come over to her and she backed up some more.  
  
"What are you doing?" Tea asked.  
  
"Tag!" Yugi cried, catching on. "Joey, you're it!"  
  
Kitty nodded as Joey stared at his friend. "What?" he asked.  
  
"You're supposed to chase us now! Let's play freeze tag!" Yugi exclaimed, backing away from Joey.  
  
"I'm it?" Joey asked, stepping away from the tree, making his friends, scramble backwards. "Cool! Get ready, 'cause here I come!" With that he darted after Tea. There were a number of squeaks and yells as everyone ran from him.  
  
Kitty turned around a tree and ran head on into Yugi. They both stumbled backwards, laughing as Joey came up and tagged Kitty in the back. She made a face as she had to freeze, Joey punching the air in success. Yugi touched her hand, unfreezing her, and they took off, leaving Joey standing there in confusion.  
  
- You should try this, Yami! - Yugi thought as he and Katrina split.  
  
- That's all right, Yugi. -  
  
- Nonsense! - With that, he left to his soul room, leaving Yami standing there, feeling very stupid and out of place.  
  
- Yugi! - he thought as Joey came up and froze him.  
  
"Hey, Yami! Here to join the fun?" he asked as Tea ran by, unfreezing Yami on her way.  
  
"It wasn't my idea," Yami said, running away.  
  
He turned around a tree to catch his breath and something hard hit him in the head. Rubbing it, he looked up to see Katrina in the tree. She gestured for him to come up. Yami hesitated for a minute, but when he saw Joey run towards him, he began the climb.  
  
Kitty pulled him into the tree, just as his friend reached out to tag his foot.  
  
"Hey! That's cheating!" Joey cried, looking up at them.  
  
"Show me where it says so in the rule book," Yami replied, grinning down at him. This was fun.  
  
"You'll have to come down sooner or later!" Joey said.  
  
"In the mean time, Tea's unfreezing Tristan and Bakura," Yami said.  
  
"What?" The blonde looked around just in time to see her tag Tristan and them both run in different directions. Groaning, he took off after them.  
  
Kitty leaned back against a branch and laughed with Yami. "This is fun," she signed to him in the alphabet.  
  
Yami nodded and looked over his shoulder at Tea, who was sticking her tongue out at Joey. Joey attempted to run after her and tripped and fell on his face. The group laughed as he stood up, spitting out grass. Yami turned around to see Kitty climbing higher in the tree. As she reached her arm up, her shirt lifted slightly. On her stomach, her could see a cut. It looked fairly recent, but it didn't seem to bother Kitty. She climbed until she was laying on her stomach on a branch directly above Yami. Tapping him on the head, she laughed as he grabbed her hand and pushed it away.  
  
"Let's see how high we can go," she signed. Yami looked up. It was a rather large tree and he was a little unsure about it.  
  
"Are you sure it's safe?" he asked. She nodded and began her climb. He stood on the branch and followed.  
  
Kitty soon reached a branch that extended over the grass and she climbed out onto it. She then sat down and flipped over, hanging upside-down by only her legs.  
  
"Katrina! What are you doing?" Yami asked. They were high off the ground and if she were to fall...  
  
She didn't acknowledge the fact that he had spoken; her head was facing away from him. Kitty's shirt fell down, (or up, however you want to look at it) and she had to hold it back with a laugh. Folding her arms did the job well. Yami could now see the full extent of the cut he had seen earlier. It made it's way from her right side all the way to her stomach at a slight upward diagonal. He wondered how she got it, but his thoughts were interrupted by her holding out an arm for him to help her up with.  
  
He reached out to help and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to a sitting position. Katrina put her fingertips to her lips, then moved them away to sign, "Thank you." Yami didn't recognize the sign, but figured what it must mean, so he nodded in response.  
  
Kitty got a confused look on her face and pointed to him before signing "Acting weird."  
  
"I'm acting weird?" he repeated and she nodded. - She's observant. -  
  
- She has to be, Yami. She's deaf. She probably noticed the difference between us the second we switched. We'll probably have to tell her about you sometime soon because of it. -  
  
Kitty waved her hand in front of his face to catch his attention. "Are you feeling okay?" she signed.  
  
He nodded. He was very thankful that he could now read the sign language alphabet. It was easier than writing, even though spelling out the words took a while.  
  
She motioned for him to move back so she could get off the branch and he did. She climbed back down the tree and looked at her watch as Yami descended as well.  
  
She gasped as she saw the time. 4:53. "I've got to go," she signed to Yami. She then took off down the road toward her house.  
  
"Wait! Is something wrong?" he called after her but to no avail. - What happened? -  
  
- I don't know. That was weird! - Yugi said.  
  
"Hey! Where's Kitty?" Joey asked, coming over to Yami.  
  
"She just ran off. I think she's going home. She seemed rather upset, though," he replied.  
  
"That's weird," Tea said, joining them. "Why would she leave without saying good-bye?"  
  
"I don't know," Yami said.  
  
"What happened?" Tristan asked as he and Bakura joined the congregation.  
  
"Kitty just left," Tea explained.  
  
"Why?" Bakura asked.  
  
"We don't know," Joey said.  
  
"She was probably going home," Tristan said. "It's five o' clock. I'd better go home for dinner myself. I'll see you guys later."  
  
"Bye, Tristan!"  
  
"See you!"  
  
"Good-bye."  
  
"Talk to you later!"  
  
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))  
  
a/n: Okay! Second chapter up! Hope you like it and don't forget to review please!  
  
I also have a fic up... Dilemma. Please read and review that too. You can get to it by clicking on my name... Greenwood Dancer by this fic. It'll give you my profile, and all the things I've written. I'm telling you this for all those new members who don't know how to do it. It took me a few times to get it straight.  
  
P.S. If anybody needs a summery, e-mail me your fics and I'll read them and give you a summery when I send it back. 


	3. Charades

a/n: Thank you to all who reviewed! Let me know how you like this chapter! I'm updating as fast as I can! Normally, once this one has been updated, so has my other fic, Dilemma. So if you've been reading that too, you could probably check it.  
  
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SUNDAY...  
  
"Hello?" Mrs. Lakewood answered the telephone and Kitty watched her mother's lips move. She saw Eliza frown and say, "Yes, she's here, but I'm afraid she can't talk."  
  
One of her friends? Why would they call her? Did they need something? Oh she wished she could talk on the phone once more. Just one more time. To hear a voice... a sound... anything. But she knew it could never happen... or rather wouldn't.  
  
Her friend seemed to have realized who they were calling. "It's all right. I'll tell her. She'll be over in a while. Good-bye." Katrina stared at her mother as she hung up the phone.  
  
"Tea? A friend of yours I take it?" she said, coming back over to her daughter.  
  
"That was Tea?" Kitty signed eagerly. "I'm going over to her house?"  
  
Mrs. Lakewood chuckled. "Yes, but only for a few hours. There's only so much time I can give you."  
  
Kitty nodded and jumped up to change. She was going to see Tea! How wonderful!  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"Hey Kitty's coming over!" Tea said. She was on the phone with Yugi. "You guys should come too! Call Joey and Tristan and Bakura, okay?"  
  
"Right! See you in a little while Tea!" Yugi said and hung up the phone. Tea replaced the receiver down just as the doorbell rang.  
  
She ran to the door and pulled it open, eager to see her new friend. Katrina stood there, smiling. She waved a hello as Tea let her in.  
  
"Hi! We were wondering where you went last night! You didn't even say good-bye!" Tea said, digging through a drawer for a pen and paper.  
  
Katrina tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up. Kitty was holding up her own supplies.  
  
"Oh! Okay then," Tea said, feeling somewhat stupid. Of course she would bring her own stuff. Why wouldn't she?  
  
When her friend handed her the paper, Tea read it to herself. - 'I had to go home for dinner and I was late.' - "Oh, okay," she said.  
  
They sat down at the kitchen table and Kitty brought her pen to the paper again. "'Sorry that I ran off on you. My dad doesn't like it when I'm late,'" Tea read aloud a few seconds later. "That's okay. I understand. Oh! That's the doorbell! I'll go get it."  
  
Kitty didn't hear the ring, but read her friend's lips as she got up to answer the door. She came back a few seconds later with the rest of the gang. Katrina waved to them energetically and they greeted her in return.  
  
"Mom made us lunch before she left," Tea said. "Are ham and cheese sandwiches okay?"  
  
They nodded and she went into the refrigerator to get them.  
  
"Why did you leave like that last night?" Yugi asked Kitty.  
  
Saving her the trouble of writing it down for a second time, Tea spoke for her. "Her dad doesn't like it when she's late for dinner." Placing the sandwiches on the table, everyone reached for one.  
  
"Yeah, I know how that is. My mom has a fit if I'm late," Tristan said, taking a bite.  
  
"So why did you leave New York City?" Yugi asked.  
  
Setting the sandwich on a plate, Katrina reached for the paper.  
  
"'Dad got transferred here for work. Plus mom didn't like the city,'" he read aloud.  
  
"This is a city too," Bakura said.  
  
Kitty laughed slightly.  
  
"'Nowhere near as big as New York City,'" Tea read. "I've heard New York City is one of the biggest cities in the world."  
  
Kitty nodded and wrote again.  
  
"'And one of the most crowded,'" Yugi read with a laugh.  
  
"So what do you normally do? In your spare time?" Tristan asked.  
  
Kitty thought a minute and went to the paper. A few seconds later she passed it to Tristan.  
  
"'Read, mostly. And watch TV.'"  
  
"How can you watch TV?" Joey asked.  
  
Kitty laughed and spelled out one word. "Captioned."  
  
"Of course!" Tea said.  
  
"So what do you want to do now?" Yugi asked as they all finished. Tea cleaned up and put the dishes in the sink. They all shrugged and Kitty looked at them all as if trying to decide whether or not to say something.  
  
"Do you have an idea?" Tea asked her.  
  
"Charades?" Kitty spelled. She reached for the paper and wrote, "I'm good at that game for obvious reasons."  
  
"That's a good idea!" Yugi said.  
  
"Come on, there's more space in the living room!" Tea said excitedly and her friends followed her into the other room.  
  
"Who's gonna' go first?" Joey asked.  
  
"How about Kitty?" Yugi suggested. "It was her idea."  
  
She stared at him as if considering whether or not to do it. "Let me think a minute," she spelled.  
  
- Yami, you're better at reading sign language. What did she say? - Yugi asked.  
  
Yami repeated what she had spelled and his counter-part mentally nodded. - Maybe soon she can teach us words in sign language so she doesn't have to keep spelling them out, - Yami said.  
  
- That would be nice. -  
  
Kitty stood and walked to the middle of the room. She saw them all looking at her and for a second she froze. Taking a deep breath, she resumed. Making a motion like a reel of film, she waited for someone to guess.  
  
"It's a movie!" Tea said and Katrina pointed to her to let her know she was right.  
  
Kitty then pointed to her watch.  
  
"Watch?" Joey asked.  
  
"Clock?" was Tristan's guess.  
  
- Time, - Yami said, almost matter of factly.  
  
Yugi repeated Yami's guess and his friend pointed to him to tell him that he was correct.  
  
- Good guess, Yami! -  
  
- Thank you. -  
  
Kitty thought for a minute before soaping an imaginary sponge and washing an imaginary dish.  
  
"What?" Joey asked.  
  
"Washing dishes?" Tristan guessed and Kitty nodded. She then pretended to put them in a rack.  
  
"Putting dishes to dry?" Tea guessed.  
  
Kitty shook her head and continued, now pouring in detergent.  
  
"A dishwasher?" Yugi guessed, slightly confused. Katrina gave him a thumbs up and made a motion to continue.  
  
"What does that mean?" Bakura asked.  
  
- The Time Machine. -  
  
- What? - Yugi thought. He hadn't been paying attention to Yami and his voice had surprised him.  
  
- That's the name of the movie. She's trying to get you to continue with the dishwasher. That's a machine. The first word was time. The Time Machine is the answer. -  
  
"The... Time Machine?" Yugi guessed. Kitty beamed and pointed to him excitedly.  
  
- You're good at this game! - Yugi said to Yami, impressed.  
  
- Thank you, - Yami replied simply.  
  
Yugi switched places with Kitty and stood there for a minute, thinking of what to do.  
  
- West Side Story. -  
  
- What? What's that? - Yugi thought.  
  
- It's a movie. I've never seen it, but I've heard about it. It should be pretty easy to act out, - Yami said.  
  
- How do I act it out if I don't know what it's about? -  
  
- Act out the words. West. Side. Story. It's easy. -  
  
- Oh! okay. Thanks, - Yugi thought.  
  
Beginning with the same reel movement as Kitty, she soon guessed it.  
  
"Movie," she spelled and Yugi nodded.  
  
Thinking of how he would act out 'west,' he drew a blank.  
  
- Now what? - he asked Yami.  
  
- Try looking at a compass. -  
  
Yugi nodded mentally and tried it. He held his hand as if he had something in his palm and he moved it back and forth, trying to find north.  
  
"Uh... machine gun?" Joey guessed. Yugi gave him a funny look. "Okay, guess not," Joey said, going slightly red.  
  
Studying it, Kitty tried to figure out what he was doing. Where had she seen that before. She recognized it, clear as day, but what was it? Then it was as if someone flicked a light on in her mind.  
  
She raised her hand to let them know that she knew it, and signed "Compass."  
  
- Yami? -  
  
- She guessed correctly. Let her know and move on. -  
  
Yugi gave her a thumbs up and she grinned, looking around at her friends. Yugi then pointed to his left.  
  
"West," she signed without even having to think about it. He gave her a surprised look and nodded.  
  
- She /is/ good! -  
  
"Well, keep going!" Joey urged.  
  
Yugi nodded and put his hand on his side.  
  
"Huh?" Tristan said.  
  
"Side?" Bakura guessed.  
  
"Oooh! West Side Story! I love that movie!" Tea exclaimed and Yugi nodded, glad to sit back down.  
  
"Okay, my turn," Tea said, standing and going into the center of the room. "Hmmm."  
  
In a few minutes, she once again made the sign for movie and nearly everyone in the room shouted it out, with the exception of Katrina, who signed it.  
  
- It'll be easier if I just act a part of the movie, - Tea though. - Well, here goes. -  
  
She snapped her head to the side and fell to the ground as though she had been hit. She was about to make another move, when she noticed Kitty standing, trying to catch her attention.  
  
"Mommy Dearest," she signed easily.  
  
"Y-yeah! How did you get it so fast?" Tea asked, standing up and going back to the couch.  
  
Katrina pointed to herself, then to her eyes and made the sign for movie.  
  
- What did she mean? -  
  
- I think it meant that she has seen it. It must have really made an impression on her that she could recognize it so quickly. -  
  
Kitty stood before them once more and was about to act out Romeo and Juliet when the doorbell rang.  
  
"Just a sec. Don't start without me!" Tea said as she went across the room to get the door. She opened it and Kitty stared at who it was in the door...  
  
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a/n: Okay, please review and tell me how you like my story so far! I'm open to ideas anybody! If you wish to flame me, that's all right. Not everyone can like my stuff... 


	4. The Rumor

a/n: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! No flames either! I'm so happy! *tears with happiness* Here's the next chapter for all you nice people!  
  
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A tall man stood there and Tea guessed him to be in his mid-thirties. He had dark hair and eyes and didn't look all too happy.  
  
"Uh, who are you?" Tea asked, taking a step back.  
  
"I'm Katrina's father," he replied, shifting his gaze to Kitty. "Something's come up at home. I'm afraid she'll have to leave early."  
  
The gang all looked at Katrina and she nodded to let them know that he was indeed her father. "I've got to go," she signed and took a few steps toward the man.  
  
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Tea asked.  
  
"Things will be fine," Alan Lakewood assured her as he put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. With that, he guided her to his car and drove away.  
  
"That was strange," Yugi said as Tea closed the door and came back to the couch.  
  
"I hope everything's all right," she replied, a slight bit of worry crossing her face.  
  
"Yeah, her dad didn't look too happy," Joey said.  
  
"Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow, right guys?" Yugi said and they nodded.  
  
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  
  
Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Bakura and Joey waited by the front doors of the school. They were cutting it close on time, but they were waiting for Kitty.  
  
"Where is she?" Joey asked, once again checking his watch.  
  
"I hope she gets here soon," Tristan said. "If she doesn't, I'm going to class without her. I don't want to be late."  
  
"She'll be here. I'm sure," Yugi said, looking down the road for her.  
  
"Yugi, we've got five minutes. Maybe we should go. She can find her way on her own," Tea said.  
  
"But..."  
  
"Tea has a point, Yugi," Bakura said.  
  
Yugi sighed. "I guess you're right. Come on. Let's go." He moved past his friends to the door. With one look back at the road, he entered, the gang following him.  
  
The group split up soon after to go to separate classes. They would meet again for lunch.  
  
Yugi walked with Tea and Joey to their English class, chatting happily. They managed to slide into their seats not a second before the bell rang. As he sat down, Yugi noticed that Kitty's seat was empty.  
  
There were a number of whispers from some people and Yugi tried to listen without looking like he was. He was able to catch a few words from the two girls sitting closest to him.  
  
"...where she is?"  
  
"...heard... died..."  
  
"...sure?"  
  
Yugi's head snapped up. - Died? - What had happened? Was it just rumor? But then, to every rumor there was truth, right? Was it Katrina or a family member? Maybe her grandmother just died or something. It couldn't be Kitty herself... could it?  
  
Maybe it wasn't even about Kitty. Maybe they were talking about someone entirely different. Yugi sincerely hoped that was the case. Katrina had enough problems without someone dying.  
  
The whispers stopped immediately as Mr. Gallmarray entered the room. "Hello class," he said, taking a seat behind his desk. Yugi groaned inwardly as one of the girls he had heard earlier sighed, putting her chin in her hand and looking at the teacher. How disgusting.  
  
"How was your weekend?" Mr. Gallmarray asked, sorting his papers quickly.  
  
A number of the students cheered and the teacher laughed.  
  
"Good, good. Okay, roll call! Eleanor Carmon."  
  
"Here!" called a girl in the back.  
  
"David Brown."  
  
"Here," said a monotone voice from somewhere to Yugi's right.  
  
"Joseph Wheeler."  
  
"Huh? Oh, here!" Joey said, going slightly red as the class laughed.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Mr. Gallmarray joked, earning a number of giggles. "Please try to pay more attention as the class continues, Mr. Wheeler."  
  
"Right," Joey muttered, sinking in his seat.  
  
"Yugi Motou."  
  
"Here," Yugi said automatically.  
  
"Allison Madrid."  
  
"Yup," joked a girl from Yugi's left.  
  
"Joshua Johnson."  
  
"Here," Joshua said.  
  
"Tea Gardner."  
  
"Here," she said simply, getting out her notebook.  
  
Mr. Gallmarray read off a bunch more names, but Yugi found himself doodling in his notebook. He didn't hear anything until someone grabbed the paper and tore it out of his book, replacing it with another.  
  
"Please save this for art class Mr. Motou," Mr. Gallmarray said, receiving laughs. Yugi threw Joey a look as his friend snickered.  
  
Yugi looked at the paper his teacher had placed in front of him and groaned, resting his chin in his hand. Pop quiz. He should have known. This was going to be a long day...  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
"Pop quiz in English," Yugi said before Bakura could ask. They had met in the bathroom and were walking back to the cafeteria.  
  
"I hate it when he does that," Bakura said.  
  
Yugi nodded. "I don't think I did that well on it either."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was guessing on half the questions."  
  
Bakura just nodded as they pushed the door to the cafeteria open.  
  
"Have you seen Kitty today?" Yugi asked his friends as he sat down.  
  
They shook their heads and Yugi had a sinking feeling in his stomach.  
  
"I know it's just a rumor, but I heard a couple of girls in English class saying something about someone dying. I know it was in reference to Kitty because they were asking each other where 'she' was," Yugi said.  
  
Tea exchanged worried looks with Bakura. "That's awful!"  
  
"Do you know who died?" Joey asked.  
  
Yugi shook his head. "I'm hoping it's just a rumor."  
  
"But aren't all rumors based on fact?" Tristan asked. No one answered him.  
  
"I hope she's okay," Tea said.  
  
Yugi nodded. "We don't know it was her it happened to though. Maybe it was just her grandmother that died of old age or something."  
  
"Let's hope," Tea said.  
  
"So, are you guys coming to the arcade later?" Joey asked, changing the subject.  
  
"You bet!" Yugi said, brightening.  
  
"We'll be there!" Tea said and Tristan and Bakura nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Get ready to get your butts kicked 'cause I'm the arcade champ!" Joey said as they all got up to go to their next classes. His friends just laughed.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
a/n: Whew. I hate connector chapters. I never know what to write! Well, don't forget to review! ^_^ 


	5. A Situation

a/n: Short chapter, but you'll see why. Don't forget to review!  
  
/You remember what this means right?/  
  
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Katrina walked to school today. She hated taking the bus. She had taken it since the day she arrived in Domino. She had taken it in New York City. In New York she /had/ to take the bus. It was too far to walk. Now it was a stretch, but if she left early, she could make it.  
  
On the bus people would always stare and talk about her. She got enough of that in class. She had to watch as people passed notes to everyone but her. She could only guess that she was the one they were about. She hadn't had many friends at all in New York because of her handicap. Once it had happened, everything went downhill. All of her friends ditched her, alienated her. Some of them even joined in with the teasing.  
  
But now she had friends. Now she could walk to school. Just like today.  
  
Her long hair blew around her face in the cool Autumn breeze. Kitty looked up at the birds in the trees. She couldn't hear their happy chirps. She remembered the sound so well. But she would never hear it again.  
  
She'd never hear another bird... another voice... another sound...  
  
What did she ever do to deserve this?  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"There she is!" Yugi said, pointing. Katrina was walking down the road towards the school. She smiled and waved as the five friends ran down to meet her.  
  
"Hi!" she signed.  
  
"Where were you yesterday? We were worried," Tea said as they made their way inside the school.  
  
"Doctor appointment," she signed.  
  
"Oh, is that all? People were saying that you died!" Tristan said and Kitty looked at him quizzically.  
  
"Why?" she signed, confused.  
  
"I don't know," Yugi said. "Come on, we'd better get to class. See you later guys!" he called to Joey, Tristan, Bakura and Tea. Kitty waved as the friends split up.  
  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
  
Katrina didn't want to leave her friends that afternoon. She was having fun joking with Joey and talking to Yugi. But she had to leave.  
  
"Bye guys," she signed and they all bid her good-bye.  
  
She flung her backpack over one shoulder and began the walk to her house. About halfway there, she remembered that her mother had wanted her to stop at the store to pick up milk.  
  
- Aww man! - she thought, turning around to go back the other way. What a bummer.  
  
The leaves on the trees were beginning to turn colors of red and yellow and the air smelled crisp. Kitty enjoyed being outside, but her backpack was starting to get heavy.  
  
She passed her school on her way and all the buses were gone. The parking lot was deserted except for a few cars. She sighed as she continued on.  
  
About ten minutes later she reached the supermarket. Trudging through the isles, she quickly found what she was looking for. She went over to the express lane and stood in line. When it was her turn, she put the container of milk on the counter and fished through her backpack for her wallet.  
  
Pulling out a few dollars, she waited for her change. The lady handed her the receipt and Kitty grabbed the milk and put it in her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. She tossed the receipt in the trash as she left.  
  
She walked through the city, crossing streets and passing allies. It really was a beautiful day and she wished she could have spent it with her friends.  
  
Adjusting the backpack on her shoulder, she trudged on.  
  
Suddenly there was a hand over her mouth. She was pulled into one of the allies and slammed against a wall. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the full extent of her situation.  
  
There were five guys in their late teens, early twenties standing before her, one still holding a hand over her mouth and pinning her to the wall.  
  
"Well, look what we have here," her captor said and his cronies grinned. "Pretty little thing, ain't she?" His hand began to make his way down the front of her shirt.  
  
Petrified and furious, Kitty hit it away, ripping his other hand off her mouth. "I'd rather die," she signed, glaring at him, still against the wall.  
  
He laughed. "Well, look at this! She's deaf!" In one swift movement, he cupped her chin in his hand, squeezing her face.  
  
Her heart pounding, she tried to escape. She managed to get out from against the wall, but she felt a hand grab her wrist tightly. It pulled her back. She struggled until she felt something sharp against her throat...  
  
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a/n: I won't update this until I get at least five reviews. So if you like this and want to read more, tell your friends! (I know, I'm evil) XD  
  
So, review and I'll update! 


	6. Rescue

a/n: Thank you to all who reviewed! I really didn't think I'd get that many that soon! Well, here's the continuation for all you nice folks... Don't forget to review at the end!  
  
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))  
  
Breathing heavily, Kitty froze. Now what was she supposed to do? She was determined not to cry; that would only give them the reaction they wanted.  
  
She felt the blade move from her throat to the side of her face. The tip forced her to turn her head to the side, as well as giving her a long cut down her cheek. She didn't even wince. She knew better than that.  
  
The man spun her around and pointed the knife to her throat. His hand went to her waist and began to go up her shirt. Katrina spat in his face.  
  
Infuriated, He pushed her into the wall and grabbed her hair. "Spit in my face will you? You need a lesson in manners," he said, pulling her head forward to prepare to slam it back.  
  
Katrina squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact. She fought to keep the tears back. She couldn't cry. That's what they wanted. They wanted to hear her beg for her life. To hear her plead with them not to do this. No, she knew she'd never do that. She'd never give them that satisfaction.  
  
Suddenly, she felt him let go of her and back away. There was a slight vibration in the ground that meant someone had fallen. She opened her eyes to see Yami dodge a punch from one of the gang members. Her captor was struggling to stand up, clutching a bloody nose.  
  
- Yugi! - Kitty thought. She stood there, frozen as Yami punched another man in the jaw.  
  
"Katrina! Run!" he exclaimed, stumbling backwards being stabbed.  
  
- I can't leave Yugi! They'll kill him! There's too many! - She stayed against the wall, unable to move as she watched the fight.  
  
"Go!" Yami cried. - What is she waiting for? -  
  
Kitty cried out as her original captor grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the wall. Behind him was the entrance to the ally. Looking back at Yami once more, she ran past the man, pulling out of his grasp as she went. She felt his knife cut into her back, but she kept going.  
  
- Almost there! - She didn't dare look back. She was so close to escaping. Katrina's foot caught on a stone and she fell, throwing her hands out in front of her to protect her face.  
  
Laying on the ground, she looked back at Yami. His lip was cut and there was blood on his forehead. - Yugi... -  
  
"Katrina, go!" Yami yelled. Ducking another punch, he managed to get out from the center of the gang. He ran to Kitty, stooping and grabbing her hand on his way out of the ally.  
  
Katrina was pulled to her feet and she ran after Yami, looking over her shoulder at the five furious men coming after them. - Oh! -  
  
They had made it out of the ally and were running down the sidewalk, Yami still pulling her by her hand. The men were still chasing them and Kitty's heart was starting to pound in her ears. Why weren't they giving up? They were in plain sight now! Surely they wouldn't continue too much longer, right?  
  
Yami and Katrina ran directly through the middle of the line at the movie theater, hoping to lose them. When she looked over her shoulder, Kitty saw only the tops of their heads as they pushed their way through the crowd.  
  
Katrina felt a hand go over her mouth and pull her into another ally. She squeaked in fright as an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, the other hand still over her mouth. Yami backed up into the wall, pulling her with him.  
  
Katrina stood perfectly still as she watched the five gang members run by the ally. The two of them waited a few more seconds to be sure they wouldn't come back.  
  
Finally, Yami released her and turned her to face him.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, holding her shoulders.  
  
She nodded frantically and buried her face in his chest. He put his arms around her lightly and waited for her to calm down. When she pulled away, she touched her fingers to her lips and moved them away to sign "thank you."  
  
Yami nodded and looked at the cut on her face. "We had better get you cleaned up."  
  
"I have to go home," she signed.  
  
"After we treat your injuries I'll walk you there." Yami let go of her shoulders and moved to the entrance to the ally. He looked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, then motioned for her to follow him. Katrina had to run slightly to catch up with him.  
  
As they left the ally, she looked nervously over her shoulder. Yami touched her arm to get her attention.  
  
"They're gone," he said when she looked at him. She nodded and forced herself to look straight ahead. Suddenly she remembered something.  
  
"My backpack!" she signed. She had dropped it when the man first pulled her into the ally.  
  
Yami seemed to realize that and they both turned back to where they had come from. They passed the movie theater and soon found the ally. Her bag was lying in the entrance, not visible from the street.  
  
Katrina sighed in relief as she picked it up. She ruffled through it quickly to make sure everything was there. The milk container had a dent in it, but it was otherwise all right as well.  
  
She slung it over her shoulders and the two of them headed toward the game shop.  
  
"Thank you," she signed once more. Yami nodded and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
They walked in silence, every once in a while, looking behind them.  
  
When they reached the shop, Yami took her up to Yugi's room. He was relieved that Yugi's grandpa was in the back, therefore unable to ask questions.  
  
"Sit here," Yami instructed Kitty once they were in his room. She sat on the end of the bed obediently and watched as he went into the bathroom. Her view was obstructed, however, by him closing the door.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yami took a towel and made it damp from the faucet. He then wiped his forehead, cleaning his own cut. Folding the towel in half, he went back into the bedroom. Katrina watched as he pulled a chair up in front of her and sat down.  
  
He touched her face with it and she pulled away, wincing in pain. He put his hand on her chin and gently turned her face back to him. Taking a deep breath, she allowed him to wipe her cut. It had already stopped bleeding, but it would sting for a while yet.  
  
"All right. Do you want me to call your parents to tell them where you are?" he asked when he had finished.  
  
Katrina nodded and stood, heading for the door. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned back to Yami.  
  
"You have a cut on your back as well. I didn't notice it earlier," he said. She herself had forgotten about it. He led her back to the bed and she sat on the edge, cross-legged. She folded her arms to keep the front down and he lifted the back of her shirt. She wouldn't be able to wear it again; it had a cut in it and a large blood stain.  
  
This cut too had stopped bleeding and wasn't as deep as the one on her face. It stung slightly, but Katrina didn't move.  
  
Yami was about to lower her shirt, when he noticed something else. Just above her cut, was a scar. He put the towel to her back again, to distract her from the fact that he raised her shirt some more. It traveled the length of her back, too high for him to see the end. He released her shirt and she turned around.  
  
"Where did you get that scar on your back?" he asked. She stared at him for a second as if deciding whether or not to tell him.  
  
Kitty got up from the bed and went through her backpack. She pulled out a pen and paper and began to write.  
  
When she passed it to him, he read it to himself. - I had to undergo surgery a few years ago. I had a cancerous tumor in my back. -  
  
- That's awful! - Yugi said. Yami mentally nodded and turned back to Katrina.  
  
"Can we call my parents now?" she signed before he could speak.  
  
Yami nodded and led the way downstairs. Kitty stopped for a second to pick up her backpack and put her pen away.  
  
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a/n: Okay, how did you like it? There's only one way to tell me! Review! More to come soon! 


	7. A Discovery

a/n: You guys review and I give you another chapter! Here we go again! Hope you're enjoying it!  
  
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Yami picked up the phone and dialed Kitty's number.  
  
"Hello?" It was a woman who answered.  
  
"Mrs. Lakewood?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, who's this?"  
  
"Yugi. I'm a friend of Katrina's. I want to let you know that she's at my house at the moment," Yami said.  
  
He could hear her breathe in relief. "Why?"  
  
"On her way home she was attacked."  
  
"What?" Her voice went somewhat squeaky. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Yes, she's fine. There was no permanent damage, just a few cuts. I'll be walking her home in a few minutes. I just wanted to let you know where she was so you didn't worry," Yami said.  
  
"Yes, okay. Please be careful, Yugi. Take care of her," Mrs. Lakewood said.  
  
"We'll be there in a little while."  
  
"Right. Bye." They hung up and Yami and Kitty left the shop.  
  
They walked in silence for a few minutes, but Katrina was watching Yami carefully. This was the second time she had noticed a change in the way he acted. At school he was really lay back and care free. Now he seemed uptight and serious. Even his posture had changed. She couldn't take it any more. She grabbed his arm, making him stop and look at her.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"What's going on?" she signed.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.  
  
"You are acting... strange. Not like yourself," she signed in reply.  
  
Yami stared at her. Maybe he should have switched back with Yugi earlier.  
  
"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked, signing the letters one by one.  
  
"We just went through a great..." he started.  
  
"This isn't the first time!" It was clear she was getting slightly aggravated.  
  
- I guess we should tell her, - Yugi said.  
  
- And if she doesn't believe me? -  
  
- I think she'll believe you. -  
  
Yami looked around the street and sidewalk at all the people and he pulled Katrina into a nearby ally. "You must keep an open mind to what I'm about to tell you, Katrina."  
  
She nodded, confused.  
  
"I'm not Yugi," he said. She stared at him blankly.  
  
"A twin?" she signed.  
  
"No. I'm not sure how to explain this," Yami said, searching for the right words.  
  
"Try to hurry, I have to get home," she signed.  
  
"All right. My name is Yami. I'm the spirit of an Egyptian pharaoh," he said. Katrina blinked at him before bursting out laughing.  
  
"Good one! I almost believed you!" she signed. "Now, really, what's going on?"  
  
Yami had expected something like this. "That is what's going on. I reside in the Millennium Puzzle," he said, touching it. "Yugi's grandpa gave it to him and when he solved it, he released me. We now share the same body and take turns controlling it."  
  
Kitty stopped laughing. She looked directly into his eyes and studied them. They showed no indication of lying. "You really believe this, don't you?" she signed. - He's crazy! -  
  
"It's the truth, Katrina."  
  
"Prove it then." She folded her arms and waited.  
  
Yami nodded. The puzzle glowed as he and Yugi switched places. Kitty took a few steps back and stared, wide eyed. Seeing them switch... Yugi was shorter than... Yami? His hair was different and... This was crazy!  
  
"Hi Kitty," Yugi said.  
  
She stared at him and put a hand to her mouth in shock. "How is this possible?" she signed.  
  
"I'm going to let Yami explain this, okay?" Yugi said as they switched once more. Katrina stood there, petrified.  
  
"When I was pharaoh there was something called the Shadow Games. These games involved the Shadow Realm. That's complicated," he said. "These games were threatening to destroy the world, so I locked the power inside the seven Millennium Items, this being one of them." He indicated the Millennium Puzzle. "The Items were the Puzzle, Eye, Ring, Scales, Rod, and Necklace. Bakura has the Millennium Ring. That contains the spirit of a tomb robber. He is able to control his spirit most of the time."  
  
"So... there's a spirit inside each of the Items?" she signed.  
  
"Not that I know of. There was one inside the Rod, Ring and Puzzle. I don't think the others have spirits."  
  
"And you're a... pharaoh?"  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"I always believed in ghosts, but this...!" she signed.  
  
Yami just chuckled. "So now you know. Not many do."  
  
"I don't believe this! This... is amazing!" she signed, stunned. "That means you're five thousand years old!"  
  
"My spirit is, yes," Yami said.  
  
"I don't know what to say! Well, sign," she corrected. Yami chuckled and led the way out of the ally.  
  
"We had better get you home."  
  
Katrina nodded, then blushed. "That... was you, wasn't it? In the ally earlier."  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"Oh." - You could say something more intelligent than /that/ I'm sure. - "Um..." she signed.  
  
- She's taking this much better than I expected, - Yami thought.  
  
- What am I supposed to say to a... a pharaoh? Much less to one who saved my life! - Her mind had gone blank. She knew there must be something to say, but what was it?  
  
Yami made no motion to strike a conversation, and that suited Kitty fine. They arrived at her house a little while later.  
  
Yami looked at her before knocking. The door flew open almost immediately to reveal Mrs. Lakewood in a panicky state.  
  
"Katrina! Oh, thank God!" Kitty's mother flung her arms around her and kissed her forehead. "What happened? What took so long? Oh, dear Lord, look at your face!"  
  
"Mom, I'm fine," Katrina signed. "This is..." She looked at Yami. - What do I call you? - she thought. - Wait. He introduced himself to her before as Yugi. - "This is Yugi."  
  
"It's so good to meet you, Yugi," Mrs. Lakewood said, hugging Yami, who stared at her. Kitty was trying hard not to laugh.  
  
"I should probably go," Yami said, pulling away from her.  
  
"Right," she said. "Thank you for taking care of Kitty."  
  
Yami nodded and turned to leave.  
  
"Come inside," Mrs. Lakewood said, pulling her daughter into the house. She closed the door behind them and pushed her daughter down onto the couch.  
  
"Are you okay? What happened? Tell me everything," her mother said, crouching in front of her.  
  
"Well, oh, here's your milk," Katrina signed in regular sign language. It felt good not to have to spell out the words. She dug in her backpack for the milk container.  
  
"Yeah, thanks. Now /what happened Kitty/?" Mrs. Lakewood took the milk and set it on the floor.  
  
"I was walking home from the store and a gang pulled me into an ally. They were going to... well, hurt me, when... Yugi... well, he saved me. Yugi saved my life, Mom," she signed.  
  
"Oh my God, Katrina," Mrs. Lakewood said, hugging her daughter.  
  
"Mom, I'm fine now," Kitty signed, pushing her mom away. "Is Dad home?"  
  
"No, not yet," her mother said, shaking her head.  
  
"I guess I'd better do my chores than, huh?" Kitty signed. - What a bummer. -  
  
"Yeah, and hurry up, okay?" Eliza Lakewood said, standing. She touched Kitty's shoulder as she went into the kitchen.  
  
Sighing, Katrina got up to do her chores. After that she still had homework to do. What fun.  
  
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a/n: Okay, so Kitty knows about Yami. What'll happen next? Keep reading to find out. Oh, and don't forget to review! You've got to review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll post!  
  
And read "Dilemma" my other fic. there's a cliffhanger there, and I need about five reviews before I'll post again. So be kind to fellow readers and review! Who knows, maybe you'll get hooked on it too! ^_^ You never know unless you check it out, right? 


	8. Secrets Revealed

a/n: Okay, here we go. Kitty's secret will be revealed in this chapter. But first, I need a disclaimer...  
  
I don't own Mommy Dearest, or any of the other movies that came up in chapter three. (I know, I know, I'm late. But, as long as it's here, right?) I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh either.  
  
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Yami couldn't stop thinking about that scar on Kitty's back.  
  
It was late at night and Yugi was asleep. Yami was sitting at his counter-part's desk, staring into the darkness.  
  
She had said it was from a surgery. A cancerous tumor. She hadn't told him how large it was, but it couldn't have been too big, right? He closed his eyes and recalled what the scar had looked like. It had been so long he couldn't see the end of it. If it had been from a surgery for a tumor, surely it wouldn't have been that long. He had noticed that it had been slightly off center and at an angle. If it had been from a surgeon, it would have been straight. There was only one explanation.  
  
She was lying.  
  
But why? Why would she lie? What was she hiding? Where had the scar come from? Had she gone through another attack? Maybe one that she hadn't been so lucky in? No, that wouldn't make any sense. How many times in one person's lifetime could they be attacked in an ally? No, he was pretty sure he could rule that out. But then what /was/ it?  
  
Yugi had believed it, but then, what reason would he have to think that his friend would lie to him? Yami had suspected something when he saw how voluntarily she had given him the information. She didn't seem the type to want to tell people about that sort of thing. There was something else... but what?  
  
Then, something else came to mind. That day at the park. When she was hanging upside down, he had seen a scar... a cut. Were the two connected in some way? He began recalling all the times he had seen her.  
  
She had gone over to Tea's with them. Her father had come and said there was important business at home. He had taken her home and the next day she hadn't shown up at school. She had said it was because of a doctor appointment, but now he wasn't so sure he believed her. He knew there was a part of the puzzle he was missing, but what was it?  
  
He thought hard. All the moments he had remembered flashed before his closed eyes as if it were a movie. Then something else...  
  
FLASHBACK...  
  
She snapped her head to the side and fell to the ground as if she had been hit. She was about to make another move when she noticed Kitty standing, trying to catch her attention.  
  
"Mommy Dearest," she signed easily.  
  
"Y-yeah! How did you get it so fast?" Tea asked, standing up and going back to the couch...  
  
END FLASHBACK...  
  
Mommy Dearest... Mommy Dearest... what was that about? It rang a bell... Where had he heard it before? It didn't matter. He didn't have to remember. Yami turned on Yugi's computer and connected to the internet.  
  
Typing "Mommy Dearest" in the search engine, he waited. A number of pages came up in answer. He clicked on one and a new page came up.  
  
He only had to read the first line before he remembered the movie. He had seen it once with the gang.  
  
It was a true story about a mother who abused her daughter.  
  
He signed off the internet and shut off the computer.  
  
That was it.  
  
He had figured it out.  
  
It had to be...  
  
There was no other explanation...  
  
She hadn't gone to a doctor appointment...  
  
Something hadn't come up at home... or at least, not the way her father made it sound...  
  
He had met her mother...  
  
When she had hugged Kitty, there had been a bruise on her arm...  
  
It wasn't her mother...  
  
It was her father.  
  
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a/n: Well, what do you think? More to come soon, and these chapters will be the best because I already have the ideas in my head... I'm not making them up as I go along like I was with the previous ones. Well, REVIEW!!! You want me to continue, you gotta' review. And review Dilemma too. I updated... check it out!  
  
Also started a third fic. Yu-Gi-Oh as well... An Unlikely Friendship. Read and review please! That one's a Bakura-OC. (Not the spirit of the Millennium Ring. He doesn't show up in my fics.) 


	9. Familiar Scenes

a/n: Now you know what Yami does. Here's what Kitty goes through day in and day out...  
  
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????  
  
Mr. Lakewood stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Katrina! Get down here!"  
  
His wife stood up from the couch and cautiously came over to him. "Honey... she's deaf... she can't hear you." She could smell the alcohol on his breath and it made her feel faint.  
  
"Get away from me!" he yelled, flinging his hand out and hitting her across her face. Eliza cried out as she fell to the floor.  
  
She heard him begin the climb to her daughter's room and tears fell from her eyes, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him.  
  
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Katrina lay on her bed, reading. She looked up when she saw the door fly open. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of her father and she sat up.  
  
"When I call you, you come!" he said, pointing a finger in her direction.  
  
She sat there, petrified. "But... I can't hear you!" she signed frantically. It didn't do any good. Her father didn't know sign language and he had no interest in learning.  
  
"Do you understand me?" he yelled, storming over to the bed and pulling her up by her shirt. Katrina nodded, willing herself not to cry. It would only make him angrier, though she sometimes wondered how that was possible.  
  
He threw her off the bed to the floor and she stayed there, barely breathing from fright. It was a very familiar scene; it had happened more times than she could count. He pulled her up by her hair and she winced. Her father let go of her hair, only to replace it with a hand around her throat. He slammed her into the wall and lifted her by the neck.  
  
Knowing it wouldn't do any good to fight him, Katrina dangled a few inches off the ground, struggling for breath. He dropped her and she crumpled, wiping her tears on her knee.  
  
He grabbed her hair once again and pulled her to her feet, only to hit her in the face, causing her to fall. He kicked her in the stomach, yelling obscene things Kitty couldn't hear, nor had an interest in hearing. She winced and wrapped her arms around her abdomen.  
  
She put out a hand to stand up and her father stepped on it, crushing her fingers and making tears leak out of her eyes. He bent down and began to pull her up, still standing on her hand. She cried out as her wrist threatened to snap.  
  
Suddenly, her mother came into the room and Alan dropped Kitty to the floor and raised his foot from her hand. She quickly brought it in and held onto it, starting to cry.  
  
"Honey... phone for you," she said, fear and sadness in her eyes as she saw her daughter on the floor.  
  
Alan looked at Kitty on the floor and kicked her one last time. "We'll finish this later," he said, heading towards the door. "Got out of my way," he ordered Eliza, shoving her to the side.  
  
She stumbled, then ran to Kitty. "Oh, dear God," she said, tears forming in her eyes as she held her daughter's head in her lap. "Let me see your hand."  
  
Kitty held up her left hand. There were cuts from where the treads of her father's shoe had been and they were oozing with blood.  
  
"Here, come to the bed," her mother said, trying to keep tears back. She helped Katrina up and to the bed. It hurt her to see Kitty limping from the pain in her stomach. "I'll get some bandages." Mrs. Lakewood went into the bathroom and got some peroxide and a bandage.  
  
Katrina winced as her mother cleaned her fresh cuts with the peroxide. She then wrapped her hand tightly with the bandage. Eliza kissed her daughter on the forehead and looked at her.  
  
"You're very brave, Kitty," she said, tears welling up in her eyes as well as Katrina's. They fell into an embrace as they both began to cry.  
  
  
  
a/n: Please review!!! The story isn't over yet... we still have a bunch more chapters to go. So, review and I'll continue! 


	10. Study Time

a/n: This is a long chapter, but you're gonna' like it, so read and never forget to REVIEW! ~o_o~  
  
(Disclaimer) For once I have it in the right chapter! *applaud* Thank you, thank you. Anyway, here's your disclaimer... I don't own the Twilight Zone or Ripley's Believe it or Not.  
  
&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&  
  
"Yugi."  
  
"Uhhh," Yugi moaned, rolling over and pulling the pillow over his head.  
  
"Yugi, it's time to get up."  
  
"Five more minutes," The teen said into his pillow.  
  
"No, you have to get up now."  
  
Yugi moaned again, but then his mind cleared. Yami was awake before him? That never happened. "What time is it?" he asked, sitting up and looking at his transparent counter-part.  
  
"Six thirty," Yami replied.  
  
"What?" Yugi cried. "I'm going back to sleep, Yami. I don't have to be to school until eight!" He began to flop back down onto the bed, but Yami stopped him.  
  
"I have to talk to you. And it wouldn't hurt to have a decent breakfast before school."  
  
"You sound like Mom," Yugi grumbled, throwing the covers off him and Yami chuckled. "What do you have to talk to me about?"  
  
"Katrina," Yami said, his face going serious again.  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Yugi, that scar on her back... do you remember?" Yami sat down on the bed next to his younger self.  
  
"Yeah," Yugi replied. "That's really sad she had to have surgery."  
  
"No. It wasn't from surgery, Yugi."  
  
Yugi stared at him curiously. "What do you mean?"  
  
"It was too long to be the correct size for a tumor. And it was slightly jagged. A specialist didn't make that mark," Yami said.  
  
Yugi looked into the pharaoh's eyes and saw a seriousness that made his stomach drop. "So..." he started.  
  
"Yes. Katrina lied."  
  
"But then, where did her scar come from?" Yugi asked.  
  
"That day in the park when we were in the tree. I saw another scar on her stomach," Yami said, closing his eyes to picture it.  
  
Yugi didn't understand what was going on. He knew there was something wrong, but why wouldn't Yami just come out and say it?  
  
"Do you remember when she didn't show up for school because of a doctor appointment?" Yami asked, looking back at Yugi, who nodded. "What happened the night before?"  
  
Yugi thought about it for a minute. "We went over to Tea's and played charades."  
  
"Yes. But the evening was cut short by Katrina's father coming to the door."  
  
"He said something had come up at home."  
  
Yami sighed. He knew the truth was probably the farthest thing from the teen's mind, but he should be able to figure it out. He didn't feel comfortable with telling him flat out. For some reason the words just wouldn't come out.  
  
"Do you think it was a coincidence that she missed school the day after that happened?" he asked.  
  
"Are you saying it wasn't?" Yami nodded and Yugi's eyes grew wide. "Then... what?"  
  
"When I walked Katrina home after she was attacked in the ally, her mother opened the door. She hugged Katrina and I noticed a bruise on her arm."  
  
"What are you trying to say, Yami? Just tell me!"  
  
Yami sighed again. "Yugi, Katrina's being abused."  
  
"What?" Yugi cried, leaping from the bed. "No! It can't be!"  
  
"It is. There are too many coincidences, Yugi," Yami replied, standing as well. "There's no other explanation. I looked for one."  
  
Yugi stared at his alter-ego with huge eyes. - No! Kitty can't be... She's not...! Is Yami telling the truth? - "What are we going to do?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know," Yami replied.  
  
"We have to do something! We can't let this happen!" Yugi cried, holding up a fist.  
  
Yami looked at him, his expression unreadable. "We will figure something out." Yugi nodded, his eyes blazing.  
  
- How could someone do that to her? Her own father! That's awful! - he thought.  
  
"You had better get dressed," Yami said.  
  
"What are we going to say to Kitty?" Yugi asked, going through his drawer.  
  
"Nothing yet. Maybe she will tell us on her own," Yami replied.  
  
"How long are we going to wait? He could kill her!" Yugi exclaimed.  
  
"I have something in mind." He turned back to the bed and looked over his shoulder at the shorter version of himself. Yugi saw a glint in Yami's eye as he returned to the puzzle.  
  
  
  
"Hey! There's Kitty!" Tea said, waving over Yugi's shoulder. They had just sat down at the cafeteria table.  
  
Yugi turned around and saw the raven haired girl smile as she came over to sit with them. He studied her face carefully as she sat down. Now that he knew what was going on, he could see through her mask. She looked tired, as if she hadn't slept well the night before, and, though no one else noticed, there were cuts in the back of her left hand. Yugi's heart pained to know that one of his friends was hurting so badly, physically and, most likely, emotionally as well.  
  
Yami had said not to tell the gang. He hadn't, but the urge to tell someone was so bad he felt as though he would burst.  
  
Yami's voice in his mind was the thing that pulled Yugi from his thoughts.  
  
- Ask Katrina if you could go over to her house after school. -  
  
- Why? - Yugi thought.  
  
- Tell her that you want to study for the history test tomorrow. -  
  
- But she's not allowed to do stuff on school nights. And if her father's home... - Yugi started but Yami cut him off.  
  
- He won't be. When I dropped Katrina off at her house he wasn't there. -  
  
- How do you know? He could have been in another room! -  
  
- His car wasn't in the driveway. When he came to pick Katrina up at Tea's, I got a glimpse of his car through the window. He drives a truck. The car that was in the driveway was a Taurus, - Yami said.  
  
Yugi was stunned. Yami never failed to surprise him. He noticed everything! - And what if he comes home while I'm there? -  
  
- That's what I'm hoping, - Yami replied.  
  
- What? - Yugi's voice was higher than usual.  
  
- He shouldn't do anything to Katrina while you're there, but it will give us an idea of exactly what danger she's in by the way he acts toward her. -  
  
Yugi mentally nodded, now sufficiently petrified. - And how do I ask her without the gang wanting to come too? -  
  
- Ask her on the way to science. That's the only class you have together without them. -  
  
Yami truly was brilliant, Yugi realized. - Right. - How was he going to manage this? Then again, it just might be crazy enough to work.  
  
"Yugi? You're being really quiet," Tea said, waving a hand in front of his face.  
  
"Huh? Oh, uh..." he started, but was cut off by the bell. "Uh, oh. Come on, Kitty, we'd better go."  
  
She nodded and stood up with him and left for science. About halfway there, Yugi turned to her.  
  
"Hey, do you mind if I come over to your house after school to study? There's a history test tomorrow and I want to cram for it," Yugi said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.  
  
Kitty stared at him for a minute and Yugi could see the hint of fear that flitted through her eyes. "My... dad..." she signed.  
  
"It wouldn't be for too long," Yugi said quickly. "No one would even know I'm there. Except for you of course." - Oh that was smooth. -  
  
Kitty considered it for a second, then nodded. "If it's to study," she signed. "He'd say okay."  
  
"Great!" Yugi said, mentally wiping sweat off his brow. They were nearing the classroom and Kitty suddenly put an hand on his shoulder, making him stop and look at her.  
  
"Is this you asking or..." she signed and Yugi thought he saw a slight tinge of color work it's way into her cheeks.  
  
He laughed and said, "It's me asking." Then, on sudden inspiration, added, "Were you hoping for Yami?"  
  
- What are you doing? - Yami asked, shocked at what Yugi had just said.  
  
This time there was no mistaking it. Kitty went bright red and Yugi had to hold back a laugh.  
  
"No! That's not what..." she started, but Yugi held up a hand for her to stop.  
  
"I know. I was kidding," he said.  
  
- You have an odd sense of humor, Yugi, - Yami said with a shake of his head.  
  
Kitty nodded and tried to make the color drain from her face. She followed him into class and took her seat.  
  
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"How long have you shared your body with..." Kitty signed as she and Yugi walked to her house after school.  
  
"Yami?" he finished and she nodded. "I guess about a year.***"  
  
"Do you know what the other is doing when you switch?" she signed. It took so long to spell out the words that Yami had to repeat what she said to Yugi because he had forgotten the first words she spelled.  
  
"Sometimes. But usually we give each other privacy," Yugi replied.  
  
"Do you know when the other is listening?"  
  
"Most of the time. I can feel Yami alert in my mind, like now."  
  
"Oh." Kitty looked straight ahead as they turned a corner, feeling her face start to burn. Yet, she was curious about this, so she continued with the questions. I mean, how often do you run into this sort of thing? "How often do you switch?"  
  
Yugi chuckled at her nonstop questions. "Uh, we really don't have a routine, if that's what you mean."  
  
"So whenever the other wants to take over, you switch?" she signed.  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"This must feel really weird for you," she signed. She realized she had look down at him slightly. She didn't remember having to do that with Yami.  
  
"Not really. I've pretty much gotten used to it. Sometimes it can be really cool. We can talk to each other by telepathy," Yugi said, tapping his temple with a finger.  
  
Kitty's eyes widened in shock. "Cool!" she signed. "The pharaoh must come in handy during history tests."  
  
Yugi laughed and he heard Yami chuckle slightly as well. "Not really. He won't help me during tests and homework and stuff. And you can call him Yami."  
  
"Oh," she signed and Yugi saw she once again had a pink tinge in her face. "Right." - Yami. Pharaoh Yami. Hmmm... - She ran his name over and over in her mind, thinking of different ways to say it.  
  
They reached her house a few seconds later and she pulled the door open. Yugi noticed the truck wasn't in the driveway. He made a mental note to ask Kitty when her father usually got home. As much as he wanted to be out of there by then, he had to help Kitty. Drawing himself up, he followed her into the house.  
  
"Hi honey... Yugi! It's so good to see you!" Mrs. Lakewood said when she entered the room.  
  
Yugi stifled a laugh as he felt Yami retreat deeper into his mind slightly. "Hi," Yugi said. "Do you mind if I stay over for a while? Kitty and I were going to study."  
  
Yami watched her eyes carefully and noted the way they darted nervously to the window.  
  
"Sure. Why don't you go upstairs and get started," Mrs. Lakewood said.  
  
"Thanks," Yugi said as he and Kitty made their way upstairs.  
  
Kitty led him into her room and closed the door. Though Yugi had turned away, Yami heard the click of Kitty locking the door.  
  
The pharaoh phased out of Yugi and began to inspect the room. As Yugi took a seat on the bed next to Kitty, Yami heard him ask when her father usually came home. He turned to see her sign, "It varies from day to day." She then engaged him in their studies.  
  
As the two teens quizzed each other, Yami walked over to her desk. It was strewn with papers that Kitty had scribbled school notes on. Then something caught his eye. A plain notebook lying open in the midst of all the papers. More of her antique style handwriting covered the pages. Leaning over it, Yugi's name jumped out at him. He decided to start at the beginning and scanned his eyes to the top of the first page.  
  
He began to read it and immediately felt guilty after reading only the first word.  
  
~~ Diary,  
  
Today I was attacked when I was walking home from school. A gang pulled me into an ally and were going to rape me. They even had a knife to my throat and everything. The guy was about to smash my head into the wall when Yugi rescued me. He must have been going home and seen what was going on. He punched one of the guys in the nose and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the ally and into another. He put his hand over my mouth and wrapped his other arm around my waist, pulling me backwards into the wall to escape the gang. I've never been that close to a guy in my life. ~~  
  
Yami felt his face grow warm, though he wasn't sure why. Pushing that out of his mind, he continued reading.  
  
~~ He took me to his house and cleaned my cuts. I had one on my face and one on my lower back. When he was tending to my back, he saw one of my scars. I told him it was from a surgery where I had to have a cancerous tumor removed. After he had been so kind to me and saved my life, I didn't want to lie to him. But I had no choice. I think I overdid it, telling him it was a cancerous tumor. I don't think he believed it. Part of me wants him to know. The other part tells me he'll think I'm weak if he knows. Anyway, I found out something amazing about Yugi when he was walking home. He had been acting so strange lately; almost as if he were two different people. Well guess what? He is. He... ~~  
  
Yami groaned as he ran out of words. He hadn't learned anything from that entry at all, only confirmed things he already knew. But then, that was only one entry. If she described things in such detail, she must have some record of what her father does to her. She had made mention of it, even if it wasn't in so many words.  
  
He reached out to turn the page, but his hand went through the table as he had expected. He wanted to continue reading. There would be some useful information in there. If only he could read it... everything would be revealed. How often he hurt her, how, where, he'd know all of that.  
  
But then, he'd also know her deepest secrets... things that had nothing to do with her father. Things he had no business knowing. Though he knew it was wrong, his curiosity of the end of that entry overwhelmed him.  
  
- Yugi, I've found something, - he said through their mind link, knowing that if he did this, he would seriously hate himself later. But he had to do it. For Katrina's own good.  
  
- What is it? - Yugi asked.  
  
- A diary, - Yami replied, his conscience kicking in already.  
  
He could hear Yugi's skepticism. - Are you sure you should be reading that? That's her personal stuff. -  
  
- I know. But this is the only way, - Yami said.  
  
- Okay, but if there's anything you think I shouldn't know, don't tell me. I don't want that on my head. -  
  
His counterpart nodded. - All right. But first, I need your help. -  
  
Yugi mentally groaned. - What can I do? -  
  
Yami looked around the desk and saw an eraser on the corner. - Say you need an eraser. On your way to grab it, brush to the next page with your hand. -  
  
- Yami you're going to get me caught! - Yugi said.  
  
- No, not if you're careful. -  
  
Yugi sighed internally. How did Yami get him into these things? Why didn't he just take over and do things himself? But he raised his head to Kitty. She lifted hers as well when she saw his motion.  
  
"Oh, darn," Yugi said, after he deliberately put the wrong answer on the paper. He searched through his backpack for an eraser, ignoring the many that were in there.  
  
"What is it?" Kitty signed.  
  
"I don't have an eraser," Yugi said, dropping his bag to the floor and doing his best to look annoyed at himself. "I thought I put one in there!"  
  
"There's one on my desk," Kitty signed with a smile.  
  
"Oh, really? Thanks Kitty," he said, getting up from the bed and walking over to where Yami stood.  
  
Yami backed up to give him room to do what he had to. - That was very convincing, Yugi. -  
  
- I just wish I felt better about it, - Yugi thought back as his hand brushed the page, flipping it, before grabbing the eraser. He did it so unnoticeably, Yami could have sworn he was an expert at this sort of thing.  
  
Yugi walked back to the bed as Yami stepped back up to read the end of the entry.  
  
~~ ...told me he wasn't Yugi. At first I thought he was a twin, but then he told me that wasn't true. He said his name was Yami and that he was the spirit of an Egyptian pharaoh! I thought he was crazy, but he went into more detail. He said that that thing he and Yugi wear around their necks is called the Millennium Puzzle. He said his soul had been preserved in it for five thousand years and that Yugi solved it and released him. Now they share the same body! But there are some minor differences in the way they look... I'll get into that in a minute. Yami then switched with Yugi and his Millennium Puzzle glowed. Yugi is shorter than Yami and his hair is different. Yami also looks... well... more mature I guess. Not that Yugi's immature, oh, you know what I mean. Anyway, they switched back and Yami went into more detail. He said that when he was pharaoh, there were these games called Shadow Games that involved something called the Shadow Realm. I don't know what that is; he didn't explain it to me. He said these games threatened to destroy the world so he locked the power inside seven Millennium Items. I don't remember the names of all of them, but Bakura has one! And his has an evil spirit in it. Only three Items have spirits. I don't think Yami's evil though. In fact, it wasn't Yugi who saved my life in the ally, it was Yami! A pharaoh saved my life. This is like an episode of the Twilight Zone or something. Something you'd report to Ripley's Believe it or Not. But I'd never report Yami. Who would listen to me? Even /I/ think I'm going insane. But, if this is insane, it's not so bad. I just wish I could block out my father. I'll write later; I'm tired. ~~  
  
~~ Kitty~~  
  
Yami was slightly torn in two directions. One way he was disappointed he hadn't learned anything about her father. The other way he was grinning from the compliments she had given him. He let his ego swell for a few seconds, then told Yugi the bad news.  
  
- There was nothing about her father in this entry. -  
  
- So I did that for nothing? - Yugi asked.  
  
- Not entirely. Before we only had a strong guess at what was going on. Now we know for certain. She mentioned it a few times, but there was nothing in detail, - Yami explained.  
  
- So now what? -  
  
- I don't... - Yami's head sapped up and so did Yugi's. Kitty looked up at her friend, who's eyes were wide.  
  
The front door had just slammed shut.  
  
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a/n: Well, that makes up for the previous short chapters I had. Hope you enjoy this, the second part will be up soon. REVIEW and I'll post it sooner rather than later.  
  
***: I don't know if this is true or not, but that's how long I think Yugi's been sharing his body with Yami. I took a guess. 


	11. Vision?

a/n: Another chapter. Gee I'm getting tired of these author's notes. I can't ever think of anything to write! I bet you guys can predict what I'm going to say at the bottom of this chapter, huh? Oh well, if you want, just skip a/n. It's boring anyway. I never say anything worth while. ^_^  
  
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- Don't move, Yugi. Kitty couldn't hear it. Keep her calm. Don't mess this up! - Yami said through their mind link. Even though no one else could hear it, he hissed it so softly that Yugi could barley understand what he had said.  
  
- Nothing like pressure, Yami, - Yugi thought dryly.  
  
"What is it?" Kitty signed, a worried look on her face.  
  
"Oh, I - I just remembered something. Sorry, uh..." He broke off as there was a scream from downstairs. - Oh no! Yami, what do I do? -  
  
- Stay calm! Everything will be fine. -  
  
- Yami! I can't do this! What if he comes up here? What if... what if he kills her mother? - Yugi's voice was panicky and he was doing his best not to show it on his face by Yami's instruction.  
  
Kitty went back to her homework after giving him a funny look, much to the relief of Yami.  
  
- Let me take over, - Yami said and Yugi accepted quickly.  
  
The light from the Millennium Puzzle caught her eye and Kitty looked up to see Yami. She stared at him for a second before signing, "Hi."  
  
Yami nodded a hello as Kitty looked at him, somewhat nervous.  
  
"Yugi and I were studying, why...?" she signed, confused.  
  
Before he could answer, there was a knock on the door. Actually, it was more of a bang after someone tried the doorknob to find it was locked.  
  
Yami got off the bed and opened the door to see Mr. Lakewood. He could smell alcohol on his breath and he knew Kitty must be scared out of her mind.  
  
"Yes?" Yami asked coldly.  
  
"Who are you?" Alan asked, trying to shove past him. Yami stepped in his way and wouldn't let him through. For a second he looked as though he would hit the pharaoh, but soon regained his control.  
  
"I'm Yugi, a friend of Katrina's. We're studying for a history test," Yami replied, staring directly into Alan's drunken eyes.  
  
"Really? Well, I normally don't allow friends over on school nights, but since you're studying, I'll make an exception. Are you staying for dinner?" Kitty's father asked.  
  
This took Yami by surprise. But he recovered quickly, seeing this as an opportunity to see what went on between her father and Kitty. "Thank you," Yami said, having a hard time sounding pleasant to him.  
  
Katrina had been staring at them, able to only read her father's lips. She had nearly fallen off the bed when he had asked about dinner. When Yami closed the door and came back to the bed, Kitty returned her face to normal.  
  
"Are you staying for dinner?" she signed.  
  
"Yes, is that all right?" he asked.  
  
"It's... fine!" - I'm going out of my mind. A pharaoh is going to eat dinner at my house. Am I seeing things? Losing my mind? - "Yami," she signed.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do Tea, Tristan and the others know about you?"  
  
Yami nodded. He was beginning to feel very guilty about reading her notebook. - Whoever gave people consciences should be sent to the Shadow Realm, - he thought with distaste.  
  
- So I'm not losing my mind. Or, maybe I am and my vision is lying to me, one or the other. - Kitty stared at him for a second. - This is a very real illusion. I could just stare at him for ages and there would still be the feeling that I'm overlooking something. Could that be reality I'm missing? -  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, seeing the odd way she was looking at him.  
  
She nodded quickly and felt her face grow hot. "So... now what?" she signed.  
  
Yami just looked at her for a second, trying to think of something else to say. But the words in her diary entry kept floating through his head and he was beginning to wish he had just left it alone.  
  
"What was it like in Egypt?" Kitty signed when he didn't answer. If she had an illusion, she might as well make the best of it.  
  
Yami knew with all the questions she had bombarded Yugi with earlier that she would get around to asking him that question. "I don't remember," he said. He could see on her face that she was disappointed.  
  
"Oh," she signed and leaned against the headboard. "Are you even real or have I gone mad?" she signed, staring at him.  
  
Yami chuckled. "I'm real."  
  
"I've never seen things before, but I mean, this is ridiculous," she signed. He turned his head toward her and she found herself looking directly into his eyes. They were deep and looked as though they held many secrets that maybe he didn't even know. Mysterious, that's what they were. Shaking herself out of it, she continued signing. "You couldn't possibly be real. You're Yugi and anytime now this vision will end and there he'll be, asking me what happened."  
  
Yami chuckled again and Kitty found herself wishing she could hear it. "I am Yugi in a sense, but this isn't a vision."  
  
"Isn't that what they all say?" she signed, giving him a curious look.  
  
"I don't know, I've never had a vision," Yami replied with a warm smile which she returned.  
  
"Well, if you are a vision, you're probably the coolest in existence," she signed, readjusting herself against the headboard.  
  
"If I'm a vision, I don't exist," Yami said, grinning at her confused face. "But thank you."  
  
"Quit messing with my head, I'm already confused," she signed, though she too was grinning. - Who cares if he doesn't really exist. He exists to me. Hold it... I was talking to Yugi earlier about him. Was that my imagination too? I don't know whether or not I'm sane anymore. This is pathetic. -  
  
"It is confusing," Yami agreed.  
  
"Katrina! Dinner!"  
  
Yami heard her father call up the stairs to them. - Her father really must be drunk if he doesn't remember that his daughter is deaf. -  
  
- Yami, be careful, - Yugi warned.  
  
"Dinner is ready," Yami said kindly to Kitty.  
  
"How do you..." she started signing, but stopped herself quickly. She had almost let it slip that it happened often.  
  
"He called up the stairs," Yami explained as they stood up.  
  
Kitty nodded. "It's because you could hear it probably," she signed, hoping he wouldn't see through her pathetic excuse.  
  
He saw straight through it, but only because he already knew. He had to give her credit, she could think of a good excuse right off the bat. "Probably," he agreed, opening the door.  
  
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a/n: Next chapter, Yami has dinner with the Lakewoods. What will he learn? If you want to find out, review this immediately! 


	12. Dinner

a/n: This is a short chapter, but after this I have more ideas! If you haven't noticed, all my 'good idea' chapters are long, when all my connecter ones are short. It's because I can never think of good connecter chapters!  
  
Oh well. Thanx to all my reviewers! I've read most of your fics too, and I just want to let you all know I think they're great! ^_^  
  
Sorry I haven't updated... I've been out of town. But now I'm back to torture you!!  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Yami opened the door for her and she nodded graciously. Kitty looked back at him before leading the way down the stairs.  
  
A few minutes later the four of them were seated at the table. Yami noticed Alan had a beer in place of the water the rest of them had.  
  
"So, /Kitty/, is this your new boyfriend?" her father asked, his eyes boring into hers. Though he said it with a calm face, Yami saw a dangerous gleam in his eyes.  
  
Katrina went bright red and shook her head.  
  
"Do you have a lot of classes together?" he pressed, glancing at Yami, who stared back, his face unreadable.  
  
Kitty nodded, trying to make the color drain from her face.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm bad with names," Mr. Lakewood said, taking a swig of beer. "What did you say yours is?"  
  
"Yugi," he replied in a flat tone.  
  
- Yami, I think you should cheer up a little. If you keep sounding like that, he's going to suspect something! - Yugi warned.  
  
Realizing his alter-ego was right, he tried to soften his expression slightly.  
  
"Yugi, that's right. That's an interesting hair style," Alan said.  
  
- Dad, shut up! You're talking to a /pharaoh/! - Kitty thought desperately. She stole a glance at Yami. He just stared at her father. She thought she saw a slight glare flit through his eyes, but when she blinked, it had disappeared.  
  
"So, are you two good friends?" Mr. Lakewood asked. He was trying to look like he was interested in his daughter's life. It seemed funny to Yami that he could pretend to be so involved, yet forget she was deaf. He didn't have to have someone tell him that Alan didn't know sign language. He probably didn't even know what it was.  
  
"Yes," Yami replied, and glanced at Kitty, who busied herself with her food.  
  
She let her hair fall in front of her face to cover the fact that she was red. That was the last thing she needed... for her father to see her blush. Though she knew Yami would never bring it up again, Yugi might. That would be bad.  
  
Not hungry any more, Kitty stood. "I'm going upstairs," she signed to her mother, who nodded.  
  
Yami, Eliza and Katrina brought their plates inside and put them in the sink.  
  
"It's getting late, Yugi. Maybe you should head home," Mrs. Lakewood said.  
  
Yami nodded and followed Kitty up the stairs.  
  
- Thank her for helping me study! - Yugi said as Yami packed up his things.  
  
Catching Kitty's attention, Yami said, "Yugi wants to thank you for helping him."  
  
"Oh, no problem," she signed with a smile. - Oh, that's weird. -  
  
Nothing more was said until the two of them were about to leave her room. Before Yami left, he turned and put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"If you need anything, I'm here for you," he said, looking directly into her brown eyes.  
  
She nodded, stunned. She realized she was blushing again, but luckily Yami had already started down the stairs.  
  
Kitty walked him to the door and watched him walk down the road. He stopped and looked back once, then continued on his way.  
  
She closed the door and turned around, only to find herself staring at her father.  
  
"What have I told you about friends on school nights?" he asked, he eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
She backed up into the door as he took a few steps toward her and grabbed her shirt. Alan threw her to the ground and kicked her.  
  
The same scene just one more time...  
  
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????  
  
a/n: I know it was short, but I couldn't think of any more to write. I was actually playing it all by ear up until Yami's last line. That was the only part I really had down in my mind. Other than that, my hands did all of it. When I'm writing, it's like my hands have a mind of their own. They're the ones coming up with all the ideas and stuff. The ideas never even have a chance to enter my mind before they're down on paper (okay, computer). It's actually kinda' cool!  
  
Okay, enough chatter. REVIEW... please? 


	13. Free Art

a/n: Okay, I think you will like this chapter, but you'll like the next one even better. It's a cliffhanger, just so you know. So, read and review and I'll post chapter fourteen.  
  
(Disclaimer) I don't own toaster strudels. (But they really taste good! Bravo to whoever came up with them!)  
  
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Katrina was in the bathroom, rubbing make up into her arm. She would need to buy some more soon. She used it often to hide the bruises her father gave her. She now had three visible ones and she was working on covering them. One way to conceal them was to wear a long sleeved shirt, which she planned on doing as well.  
  
She looked at the cut her father had given her on her upper chest and touched it lightly. It stung and she took her hand away. She would be smartest to wear a turtle neck today.  
  
Kitty had many more bruises and cuts on her stomach and back, but didn't bother concealing them. They would be hidden by her shirt.  
  
When she was finally ready for school, she grabbed a toaster strudel and went to leave the house. Her mom had already left for work, not anxious to still be there when her father woke up. Kitty felt the same way, and many times she had had to dodge him to get to school on time. The first thing she would do when she got there would be to head for the bathroom and put on her make up.  
  
On the door, Kitty found a post it note from her mom. Taking it off, she read it...  
  
~ Kitty,  
  
Take the bus.  
  
~ Love,  
  
~ Mom  
  
Kitty sighed. She knew why her mother wanted her to take the bus, but she really didn't want to. Figuring Eliza would never know if she walked, she tossed the note in the trash and left.  
  
After walking for a few minutes, she began to wish she /had/ taken the bus. The air was crisp and the trees were beautiful, but she was becoming very aware of the fact that she was alone and if she were to be attacked again, there would be no one here to help her. She found herself wishing she had someone to walk with. She supposed she'd take the bus home... if she made it that far.  
  
- Stop thinking like that, Katrina. If you think like that, it will most likely happen, you know that, - she told herself.  
  
To tear her thoughts away from the that subject, she thought about the night before. Yami had seemed somewhat tense when he had dinner with her. Had he been nervous? Kitty shook her head. No, she wouldn't get /that/ lucky.  
  
But then, why? He always looked somewhat tense, but this was more than usual. Did he know? No, he couldn't. How could he know? It must have been her father acting so strange that got to him. Though, that was an odd way for a pharaoh to act.  
  
She pushed that thought out of her head as she reached the school. Joey, Tristan, Tea, Bakura and Yugi were all waiting for her outside like usual.  
  
She waved, forcing a smile onto her face.  
  
"Kitty!" Yugi exclaimed, relieved to see her alive. The five friends rushed down to her and greeted her.  
  
Yami noted the type of shirt she was wearing and wasn't comforted by it. He saw no marks on her face, but everything else was covered. There were a few marks on her left hand, but Yugi had told him about those before.  
  
He had put together all the signs from the night before and concluded she was in danger, but if she played her cards right, it wouldn't be immediate. Her father seemed to have some control over what he did if he could pretend to actually be a father. It wasn't very good acting mind you, but it was there none the less. If Katrina could deal with it for only a little while longer and not do anything stupid, Yami could figure out a way to help her.  
  
When her father had come home, Yugi had been absolutely petrified. Even after they had switched, he could feel Yugi's nervousness. All through dinner he had been warning Yami about being careful and not blowing their cover. Yami had been nervous about blowing their cover as well; he had taken a lot of chances. Afterwards, he had been relieved to get out of there, but he knew he would have to go back soon.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"All right class," Mr. Origato said. "Today we will have free art. Draw whatever you want to. It could be anything. It will be graded on your creativity and talent."  
  
Kitty pulled out her sketchbook and pencils. Yugi sat in the row to her left two seats ahead of her. She hoped he did well on his history test. Bakura sat to her right in the back of the row.  
  
"Don't forget to put your name at the top of your paper. All right, start," Mr. Origato said, looking at his watch.  
  
Kitty looked at her paper and thought about what to draw. She was fairly talented in this area, and art was her favorite class. She loved it when her teacher gave them free art. It just took her a while to figure out what to draw.  
  
She looked over at Yugi, who was bent over his paper diligently. Then, an idea struck her. It would be sure to get her an 'A'. She bent down to her paper and began to draw.  
  
When the teacher called for them to stop, Kitty had just finished putting her name at the top of her paper. Mr. Origato came around and collected the drawings. Kitty was one of the last ones to have her picture taken away, so she was able to study it for a second. She was very proud of it and smiled at her teacher when he took it.  
  
Mr. Origato flipped through the papers as he sat down at his desk. Kitty watched his face as she counted down to her picture. She saw a slight flicker of surprise and she beamed. She bent down to pick up her backpack and left the classroom with Yugi. Bakura was still putting his sketchbook back in his pack.  
  
"So what did you draw? I tried to do the Millennium Puzzle," he said, touching it. "I'm really bad at art."  
  
Katrina thought fast. "A cat," she signed. Well, it had a remote connection to the truth... sorta'.  
  
"Cool. Are you a good artist?" he asked as they headed toward the cafeteria.  
  
"I'll show you guys some of the stuff I've done at lunch," she signed.  
  
"Okay, great!"  
  
Tea, Tristan and Joey greeted them as the two sat down.  
  
"How did you do in art, Yugi?" Tea asked.  
  
"I won't know until tomorrow. We had free art. I tried to draw the Millennium Puzzle and Kitty drew a cat," he replied.  
  
"Oh, how perfect!" Tea said. It took Kitty a second to catch on, then realized the connection to her name.  
  
Katrina smiled and nodded, playing along. In truth, she had had no idea about the link when she told Yugi.  
  
Bakura just then came up and sat down. The friends greeted each other before Yugi turned to Kitty.  
  
"Let's see some of your other stuff," he said.  
  
She nodded and pulled out her sketchbook. She opened it and set it in the middle of the table so they all could see. The five friends crowded around it to see. Yami looked through Yugi's eyes and was very impressed.  
  
It was a drawing of a sunset. It almost looked real. She had even used vivid colors of red and orange to add to the effect. Joey flipped the page to reveal a water fountain in the middle of a garden. Every flower was perfectly detailed, as was the fountain.  
  
"Wow, this is really good!" Tea exclaimed.  
  
"I would be acing art if I could draw like that!" Yugi said.  
  
Kitty beamed as Tristan turned the page. It was a mountain range. Each mountain had snow on top that was mostly covered by white clouds.  
  
"How do you do that?" Joey asked as the page was turned once again.  
  
It revealed the simplest of all the pictures she had drawn, but somehow, the gang seemed to that one best. It was simply an Egyptian pyramid.  
  
- Do you see this, Yami? - Yugi thought.  
  
- Yes, it's very impressive, - his counter-part replied.  
  
"That one was easy," she signed. "It's also the last one I did."  
  
"Wow! That's amazing!" Bakura said.  
  
"Yeah! When you get your cat back, can we see?" Tristan asked.  
  
After a split second hesitation, she nodded. She would have to draw one and forge a grade on it tonight.  
  
"She's going to get an 'A+' for sure!" Joey said and she beamed.  
  
The bell rang and they said good-bye, each heading for different classes.  
  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
  
Kitty stood outside the school looking at the bus. She was debating whether or not to take it. She was tired of people staring at her like she was from space, but she was also nervous about walking alone.  
  
Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Yami.  
  
"Hi," she signed.  
  
"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked, removing his hand.  
  
Kitty stared at him. She could understand if Yugi wanted to walk with her, but a pharaoh? And there was always the possibility that her father had hit her one too many times in the head...  
  
"Would you really?" she signed and he nodded. "Thanks."  
  
They waved good-bye to their friends and started to Kitty's house.  
  
- Well, they could see him, so I guess he's real, - she thought. On one hand she was relieved that she wasn't going nuts, but on the other, it seemed almost science fiction for it to be true! Pushing that out of her mind, she realized Yami was trying to catch her attention.  
  
"You are a very talented artist," he said and she felt herself go slightly red.  
  
"Thanks," she signed. "But I suppose we'll find out just how good my art is when I get my grade back."  
  
"I'm sure it will be high," Yami said. "You walked to school today?"  
  
Kitty nodded, slightly confused.  
  
"You should take the bus. If you get attacked again you may not be so lucky," he said.  
  
She sighed. "I hate the bus," she signed.  
  
"It is better than getting yourself killed," he replied. "If you want, take the bus in the morning and I'll walk with you after school."  
  
"That's all right. I'll be fine," she signed quickly. "You don't have to."  
  
"I know I don't."  
  
Kitty gave him a quizzical look and studied his face, but it was expressionless. "But the game shop is in the opposite direction," she signed.  
  
"I'm aware of that."  
  
She stared at him. "No, you really shouldn't..."  
  
Yami interrupted. "I don't want to see you get hurt again."  
  
"I can take the bus, it's not that big of a deal," she signed quickly. She didn't know why she was trying to deter him. She would prefer to have someone to walk with, just she couldn't imagine that a pharaoh would offer to walk her home on his own. Yugi must have had some input in this.  
  
"I understand why you don't want to take it. You don't like it when people stare at you and whisper," he said and Kitty's jaw almost dropped. How did he know?  
  
"Did Yugi put you up to this?" she signed.  
  
Yami shook his head. "No."  
  
"Then... why?"  
  
"I want to be sure you're safe."  
  
"You sound like mom," she signed with a small laugh.  
  
Yami could hear Yugi laugh in his mind. - You do have a certain motherly aspect about you, Yami, - he joked. He himself had said the same thing to his counter-part a few days ago.  
  
Ignoring Yugi, Yami spoke. "It's not the first time I've heard that."  
  
This time Kitty laughed. "Well, I guess it's okay. But only if you want to. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this because I'm too stupid to keep myself out of trouble."  
  
"The ally wasn't your fault," Yami assured her.  
  
"I know. It was those creeps," she signed, shuddering at the memory.  
  
They reached her door a few seconds later and Kitty turned to the pharaoh. "Thanks," she signed.  
  
Yami nodded and looked directly into her eyes. "Be careful," he said.  
  
Kitty had a sinking feeling in her stomach as Yami turned and started down the driveway. Did he know?  
  
Forcing that out of her mind, she entered her house. Her father wasn't home yet, but he would be soon...  
  
__________________________________________________________________________________  
  
a/n: You'll find out what her grade is next chapter... and what her picture is really. Anyways, review! (I know you all already know what she drew, I just like cliffhangers)  
  
When I was writing the fact that Kitty had drawn a cat, I didn't even realize the connection until I reread it! I decided I had to put some mention of that in there... that was to funny to pass up! 


	14. The Art Of Embarrassment

After her chores, Kitty hurried up to her room and took out her sketchbook. She began to draw a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. She didn't hear her father slam the front door shut as he entered, or her mother's cry as he threw her to the floor.  
  
When Kitty had finished with her picture, she looked at it. Was it good enough to show her friends? What grade should she give it? It really was cute. It looked kind of alive. She could hear it's mew in her mind and it made her sad to know she could never hear another kitten again for the rest of her life.  
  
Pushing that aside, she decided it was worth an 'A'. Whether or not she got an 'A' on her original picture, she imagined that her friends would believe this was a class 'A' drawing. She took a blue colored pencil and wrote a simple 'A' inside a circle at the top of her paper after signing her name on it.  
  
She held it at arm's length and smiled. It was good and she liked it almost as much as she liked her original one. She put it safely in her notebook and looked at the time. 8:23 p.m.  
  
Her father would be home by now. Not wanting to go downstairs for fear of what was inevitable, she opened her bottom clothes drawer. Inside were a number of sandwiches she had made and brought up when her father wasn't home for an occasion such as this.  
  
She pulled out two and quickly ate them in case Alan decided to come upstairs. She then changed and got ready for bed. Sliding under the covers, she turned off the lamp by her bed. She closed her eyes and she felt all her worries float away. All but one. She repeated the same thing she did every night. She hoped against hope that her father wouldn't kill her in her sleep...  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
She had made it through the morning and the night without added bruises and that was the first time in a long while. She now sat in art class, her notebook in front of her, ready to switch out the cat for the original drawing.  
  
Mr. Origato entered the room and Kitty prepared herself. She was anxious to see what grade she got and she wanted him to hurry up and pass out the papers. Biting her bottom lip, she tried not to look as anxious as she felt.  
  
Her teacher leaned on the desk and shuffled through his papers. "Morning class," he said and they all said hello back.  
  
- Come on, come /on/! Give it to me! Let me /see/! - Kitty thought, sitting on the edge of her seat.  
  
"Before I begin to hand out your papers, let me show you all something," Mr. Origato said.  
  
Katrina sighed and put her chin in her hand, drumming her fingers on her cheek. - Oh, come /on/! Can't you do that /after/ we see our grades? -  
  
"We have a student here who is extremely talented and imaginative," he said, finding the paper he was looking for and pulling it out. "This," he said, holding it up. "Is an 'A+'."  
  
Katrina stared at what he was holding up and her face went beet red and her jaw dropped. - No, no, no, no, - she thought, putting a hand over her face. Everyone was looking at /her/ drawing! No one was supposed to see it except the teacher!  
  
Yugi looked at it and knew instantly who was the artist.  
  
It was a drawing of Yami as pharaoh. He had a band around his forehead that had the Sennan Eye on it and gold bands around his forearms and wrists. He wore gold earrings in the shape of ankhs and a long flowing cape. Around his neck was the Millennium Puzzle. Yami stood with his arms folded and a serious expression on his face. All in all it was a very detailed, and exact drawing.  
  
- Impressive, - Yami said, looking at it through Yugi's eyes. Yugi could tell his counter-part was both flattered and intrigued.  
  
He turned his head to Kitty, a slight grin on his face and his eyebrows raised. She was scarlet in the face and had sank down in her seat. It was obvious no one but her and the teacher were intended to see it.  
  
Then, the girl behind Yugi tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her and she whispered, "That looks like you!" She gave a giggle and Yugi felt blood rush to his face.  
  
"No, that doesn't look anything like me," he said quickly, turning around and sinking in his seat like Kitty.  
  
- Great, now the entire school is going to think Kitty has a crush on me! - Yugi thought and Yami chuckled.  
  
Kitty watched Mr. Origato pass out the grades and stared at the one on her desk. As well as the 'A+', he had written, "Excellent" on it. She quickly hid it in her notebook, feeling somewhat sick. She'd never be able to face Yami or Yugi ever again! This was going to be a long day.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Kitty was the first out the door at the end of art and after she left, she disappeared. Yugi left with Bakura and they were both heavily immersed in conversation.  
  
"What was your grade?" Bakura asked.  
  
"A 'C'." Yugi held up a very poor drawing of the Millennium Puzzle. "What'd you get?"  
  
"A "C-," he said, holding up his own picture of a frog.  
  
Yugi nodded. "Did you see Kitty's drawing of Yami?"  
  
"Yes, it was great!" Bakura replied.  
  
"Yeah, it was. But everyone thinks it's /me/ in that picture!" Yugi said.  
  
"I can see how they would make the mistake," Bakura said.  
  
"So can I, but..." Yugi was cut off by someone tapping him on his shoulder. He turned to see a girl from art.  
  
"Are you and that deaf girl dating or something?" she asked, grinning.  
  
Yugi blushed and Bakura held in a laugh. "No, and that wasn't me in that drawing!"  
  
The girl giggled. "It sure looked like you."  
  
"That doesn't mean it was. She... she just likes my hair so she copied it, that's all," Yugi said, trying to come up with something.  
  
"Right," she said with a laugh. Rolling her eyes she went back to her friends.  
  
"See?" Yugi asked. Bakura nodded, fighting a laugh. Yugi sighed and heard a soft chuckle inside his mind.  
  
They walked to the cafeteria and sat down with Tea, Tristan and Joey.  
  
"Hey Yug," Joey said. "Where's Kitty?"  
  
"I don't know. After art she just ran off," Yugi said.  
  
"Huh? Why?" he asked.  
  
"Because... well, do remember the cat she said she drew in art?" Yugi asked, leaning on the table.  
  
"Yeah! I want to see it!" Joey said.  
  
"It's not a cat," Yugi said. "It was... a drawing of Yami as pharaoh. It was really good, but..."  
  
"A drawing of Yami?" Joey exclaimed. "Why'd she lie about that?"  
  
Tea shook her head and sighed. "Joey, you can be so dense."  
  
"What? I wanna' see it!" Joey said.  
  
"Well we can't see it if we don't know where she is," Tristan said.  
  
"I know where she is," Tea said, standing.  
  
"Where?" Joey asked.  
  
"Where all girls go when they're embarrassed," she said, heading toward the cafeteria doors.  
  
"Where's that?" Joey asked.  
  
"The bathroom you idiot," Tristan said, hitting his friend in the back of the head.  
  
"Oh! Hey!" Joey exclaimed, hitting Tristan in return.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Tea entered the girls bathroom and looked around. "Kitty?" she called. - What am I doing? She's deaf, she can't hear me! -  
  
She walked down to the last stall and saw two sneakers under the door. - How do I get her attention? - Tea wondered.  
  
Getting an idea, she dropped her backpack to the floor and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil.  
  
"Kitty? If that's you, open the door," she wrote, then slid it under the door. She saw a hand pick it up.  
  
A few seconds later the door opened and Kitty stood there, her face rather red.  
  
"Hi," Tea said and Kitty smiled weakly. "Uh, Yugi told us about your drawing."  
  
Kitty flushed some more and attempted to close the door, but Tea stopped her. Katrina looked up at her and Tea smiled.  
  
"Can I see it?" she asked.  
  
Shrugging, Kitty bent down and pulled her notebook out of her backpack. She pulled the drawing out and showed her friend.  
  
"Wow! So /that's/ what he'd look like as pharaoh! Pretty cute, huh?" Tea asked, handing the picture back to Kitty.  
  
Katrina stared at her. "Uh," she signed. "I... I guess so."  
  
Tea giggled. "Sorry. You just draw him really well."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty signed, looking at her friend quizzically. She put her drawing away and replaced her notebook in her bag.  
  
"Come on and eat lunch," Tea said, bending to pick up her own backpack.  
  
Kitty shook her head. "I can never face them again. Everyone will think I like him!"  
  
"That's ridiculous," Tea said. "Joey's too dense for that thought to even cross his mind. That's why he and Mai still aren't together."  
  
Kitty giggled despite herself. "I bet Yami saw it too," she signed, going red.  
  
"I'm sure he's both impressed with your talent and flattered that you chose him to draw over someone else," Tea said.  
  
"What if /he/ thinks I like him?" she signed.  
  
"Yami knows better than that," her friend reassured her. "Come on, let's go back."  
  
Kitty nodded and put on her backpack. "Everyone else thinks I like /Yugi/," she signed.  
  
"That will all go away in a little while," Tea said, leading the deaf girl out of the bathroom.  
  
They walked to the cafeteria and the boys were all surprised to see Tea come in with Kitty.  
  
When the two girls sat down, Kitty looked everywhere but at Yugi. She had already resigned to the fact she would take the bus home to avoid Yami.  
  
"There you are!" Joey said. "Let me see that picture of Yami! Yug was saying it was really good!"  
  
Kitty blushed and let her hair fall in front of her face as she bent down to get her notebook. She pulled out the drawing and placed it in the center of the table.  
  
"Whoa!" Joey exclaimed. "That looks just like him! Except for all the Egypt stuff of course."  
  
At that the entire table erupted into laughter, Kitty included.  
  
- She has an extraordinary talent, - Yami said, looking through Yugi's eyes at the drawing.  
  
"Yami likes it," Yugi said.  
  
Kitty looked away from him and busied herself with putting away the drawing so they wouldn't see the blush that had formed across her cheeks.  
  
Then, the bell rang and they all got up to go to the rest of their classes.  
  
==================================================================================  
  
Kitty closed her locker quickly and practically ran to the doors. She had to get to the bus before Yami caught up with her. She glanced behind her only to see the rest of the swarm of teens trying to get out. Tomorrow was Saturday and they couldn't wait for the weekend to start.  
  
Pushing through, she made it outside and ran to the school bus to see Yami waiting by it for her. His back was toward her and she quickly turned around and ran back to the school.  
  
- Maybe if I don't show up, he'll just go home, - she thought hopefully. Looking around, she decided to cut across the lawn behind him and just run. Maybe if she was fast enough he wouldn't notice.  
  
- Here goes nothing! - she thought as she started. Watching to make sure Yami didn't turn around, she made it to the road and ran as fast as she could. - If I can just make it around that bend without him seeing me, I'll have done it! Then I'll have all night and all day before I have to face him again! -  
  
Kitty looked over her shoulder and her heart sank. Yami was behind her and he looked very determined to catch up with her.  
  
- Oh, no. I've just made a pharaoh mad at me! - She turned her head back around just in time to see the tree before she ran into it. She managed to give a tiny scream and fling her arm in front of her face before she collided with the tree. She stumbled backwards, holding her nose.  
  
- I don't remember that being there before, - she thought painfully. She felt Yami stop her backwards momentum. - Oh, no. - A blush crept across her cheeks as he came around to look at her.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked. His face was expressionless as usual, but his eyes danced with laughter.  
  
Kitty pulled her hands away from her nose and looked at them. She breathed in relief when she saw they weren't bloody. She nodded and signed, "Just a bruised ego."  
  
Yami chuckled. "I expected you to try something like that."  
  
"You knew I was going to run into a tree?" she signed without thinking. Realizing what she had said, she went furiously red and tried to correct it. "Forget I said that."  
  
Yami laughed again and put a hand on her shoulder. Kitty felt her heart jump and she screamed at herself, - No way! He's a /pharaoh/! He's /dead/ for crying out loud! He's just... walking around and stuff. Oh, geez, that was a brilliant line. -  
  
"I'll walk you home," Yami said, starting to her house.  
  
Kitty stared at him, then caught up with him. "You... you're not mad at me?"  
  
Yami chuckled. "No. Your running into the tree erased any trace of anger I may have had."  
  
- Thank heaven for my ability to run into things. - "Oh, well, that's good I guess," she signed. - Gee wiz, can't you come with /something/ better than that? -  
  
"If you're nervous about what I thought of your drawing, I thought it was very well done," he said to her.  
  
Kitty blushed and signed, "Thanks." But that wasn't really what she was worried about. She hoped he didn't think she liked him. /That/ would be bad. Then again, as long as he didn't say anything about it, he could know if it was necessary. He didn't strike her as the type to continuously bring it up.  
  
"I've taken a lot of art classes," she signed.  
  
"It's not just art classes, Katrina. You have true talent. There are no lessens that can teach you how to draw like that," Yami said.  
  
Kitty beamed, feeling her face grow even warmer. She looked away from him to try to hide it.  
  
- You're really gaining her trust, Yami! - Yugi said. - Maybe she'll tell you what's been going on. -  
  
"Katrina," Yami said, placing a hand on her shoulder to make her stop. She looked at him and felt her heart start to race at his touch.  
  
- Oh, God, let go of me! - she thought, knowing perfectly well she didn't want him to let go.  
  
"I know you didn't get that scar from a surgery. What really happened?" Yami asked, his face serious.  
  
- Yami! What are you doing? - Yugi cried. - I meant maybe she'd tell you on her own! -  
  
Kitty backed away from him, her eyes wide. - No! He can't know! Not him! - "I... I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Yes, you do. I won't tell anyone, you have my word. I don't want to see you get hurt," he said.  
  
Kitty stared at him, her eyes reading his. "You already know, don't you?" she signed.  
  
Yami nodded. "I know what goes on in your house, yes. I don't know enough to help you. You have to tell me Katrina."  
  
She looked at him, wondering whether or not she should tell him. She looked away from him and signed, "I can't now. There's... not enough time."  
  
He put his hand on her shoulder and her eyes met his. "Tomorrow then. Meet me at the park. You can tell me then," he said.  
  
She nodded, unable to make her hands form words. Yami began to guide her home once more and she followed, scared of having to tell him what had been happening.  
  
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a/n: Next chapter Yami will learn everything about Kitty and her father. Please read and review! 


	15. Confession

a/n: Here is where Yami learns what happens to Kitty... and so will you! But I warn you, the flashback is slightly graphic. Although, if you want to understand, you kind of have to read it, so there's really no point in my telling you, huh? Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and don't forget to review at the end!  
  
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Katrina's father was out with the guys on Saturday. She came down and through shaking hands, told her mother she was going to the park with Yugi.  
  
"All right," Eliza said. "Have fun and be careful. And stay with Yugi."  
  
Kitty nodded and started to the door. She would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't been so nervous about what she was going to do. Ever since Yami had saved her, Kitty's mother had wanted her to stay with him at all times to keep her safe.  
  
Kitty wore a tan jacket over a white short sleeved shirt with jeans. Her shirt had a low enough neckline to show one of her more recent cuts, therefore she had the jacket closed. She was prepared to show Yami what her father did to her as well as tell him.  
  
She reached the park a while later and sat down on one of the benches and waited. A few minutes later, Yami sat down beside her.  
  
"Hi," she signed without looking at him.  
  
He put his hand in front of her and signed, "Hello." She looked up at him, surprised, then gave him a small smile.  
  
"Were you all right last night?" Yami asked.  
  
Kitty nodded. "Dad was out almost the entire night. Mom told me," she signed.  
  
Yami didn't say anything and she knew he was waiting for her to continue. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing. How could she tell him everything? She had tried so hard to block most of it out.  
  
She decided to start by taking off her jacket. Yami was silent as she pulled it off. She didn't dare look at him as she lay it on the bench beside her.  
  
Her arms were covered with cuts and bruises. She had a long cut across her chest and a number of other bruises on her neck and shoulders. Yami felt anger surge through him as he looked at her. How could someone do this to her? Kitty glanced at him before putting the jacket back on, but not zipping it.  
  
"When did it start?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.  
  
Katrina gave a laugh. "I can't remember a time when it didn't happen."  
  
"What happens, Katrina?"  
  
Sighing, she began to sign, then stopped. Yami looked at her, confused, then realized her hands were shaking.  
  
"Take your time," he said soothingly, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"It'll be easier if I just say it."  
  
Yami was surprised at the sound of her voice. It sounded so strange from not being able to hear it, but he could understand her. With every word she said, he felt sorry for her.  
  
"When I come home from school, Mom is home, but he's not. He's always out drinking or something and he comes home around seven. Sometimes it's later, like last night. He's out again today which is why I could come here," she said. There was a slight pause between each of her words and she wasn't able to pronounce them very clearly.  
  
Yami nodded for her to continue and she did.  
  
"Mom is always the first one he sees because I'm always in my room. He hits her and then comes upstairs to me. Most of the cuts and bruises you can't see because they're on my stomach and back.  
  
"The day I went over to Tea's house with you and played charades and Dad came and picked me up... That wasn't supposed to happen. I'm not allowed out by his rules, it's just that he's usually at bars on weekends so Mom lets me go. But he came home and found out. He beat Mom and tied her to a chair, then came for me. He had his knife in his belt and when we got home, he struck me in front of Mom. He cut my leg so badly that I had to get stitches. That's why I was out of school the next day." She paused and looked at Yami. He showed no emotion, but it wasn't without effort.  
  
When he didn't say anything, she continued. "He gave me that scar on my back. The one you saw. I didn't want to lie to you, I really didn't!" she said, giving him a pleading look.  
  
"It's all right. What happened?" Yami asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"He doesn't understand that I can't hear him, so when he calls up the stairs for me and I don't answer, he thinks I'm ignoring him and he gets mad. So, well, I think you can guess the rest. It's sort of funny in a way. You'd think he'd remember I'm deaf; he's the one who caused it," she said, forcing a small smile.  
  
Yami's expression went cold. "What did he do to you?" he asked, tightening his hand on her shoulder slightly.  
  
"I... I... can't..." she said, gritting her teeth. She had tried so hard to block it out; how was she going to tell him?  
  
"Yes, you can. I have to know, Katrina. I want to help you," he said, taking hold of both shoulders and looking directly into her eyes. They were fearful and pained. "What happened?"  
  
Something about him made her able to get the words out. She began and Yami watched her carefully.  
  
FLASHBACK...  
  
Kitty was on the phone in New York with her best friend, Katie. She was laughing uncontrollably with her friend when the front door opened.  
  
Suddenly Katrina's laughter stopped and her eyes grew wide. "Katie, I have to go," she whispered, hanging up the phone as her father walked in.  
  
"What are you doing, Katrina?" Alan asked as Kitty got off the couch quickly.  
  
"I... I was just..." she stammered as he began to advance on her, his fists clenched.  
  
"You were on the phone, weren't you? What have I told you about that, Katrina? What have I said?" Alan grabbed his daughter's hair and she cried out.  
  
"Dad... please!" she exclaimed.  
  
He began to pull her up the stairs and she had to try to keep up so her hair wasn't ripped out of her head. He entered her room and threw her onto the bed. Kitty backed up against the headboard, terrified.  
  
"Dad... no," she tried to say, but it came out as more of a horse whisper.  
  
"If you can't learn to obey the rules, Katrina, then you'll have to be punished. I'll make sure you'll never talk on the phone without permission again," he snarled, getting on the bed and forcing her to lay down.  
  
As he pulled her arms down to her side, she felt a sharp piece of wood in his hand. She cried out as he kneeled on her arms, preventing her from moving. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she saw him transfer something to his other hand, than lean over her.  
  
She screamed as he shoved the wood into her ears deeper and deeper until she felt a searing pain. Suddenly she was aware of her vocal cords working, but she couldn't hear anything. She felt the blood and fluids pouring out over her father's hands and he still kept pushing further in.  
  
Her father's threatening voice would be the last thing she ever heard...  
  
END FLASHBACK...  
  
"I can still feel it!" Kitty screamed, pressing her hands over her ears, feeling the pain once more. "I tried to force it out of my mind but it's still there! I can't get rid of it! It still hurts!"  
  
Yami pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He was furious with her father. How could he do that to his own daughter? He felt Kitty's fingers place themselves lightly on his throat and he knew what she was trying to do. In case he spoke she'd be able to feel the vibrations and know what he was saying. In his arms he felt her tense as she tried to keep in tears. Her breathing was strained and her teeth were clenched.  
  
"It's all right to cry," he said softly.  
  
Kitty felt the low vibrations in his throat and her fingers began to shake slightly. She didn't want to cry, but there was no way she could keep it in after all she had said. She buried her face in his chest as tears poured down her face.  
  
Yami held her even tighter, trying to comfort her as best as he could. He felt a pain in his heart for her as he recalled all she had told him. She didn't deserve this! She never did anything to warrant this kind of pain. He felt the Sennan Eye glow on his forehead as he thought of her father. Yami had to do something to stop this. He couldn't let Katrina continue to be hurt.  
  
They stayed like that for a few minutes, and, for the first time in a number of years, Kitty felt safe. She felt as though Yami would protect her and take care of her. He was the first male who could touch her without her feeling frightened.  
  
When she did pull away, she quickly wiped away her tears. "I... I'm sorry," she said, avoiding his eyes.  
  
He put his hand on her shoulder and she forced herself to look at him. "No, you have no reason to be sorry. It's not your fault. You have done nothing wrong. I will get you out of this, I give you my word. I will help you," he said, his eyes penetrating hers.  
  
"How?" she asked softly.  
  
"I don't know yet. But I will think of something and the minute I do I will let you know. Until then, you have to be strong. You have to be able to withstand whatever comes your way until I figure it out," Yami said, gently rubbing her shoulders.  
  
Kitty nodded and gave him a weak smile which he returned. "Thank you, Yami," she whispered as he pulled her into another hug.  
  
Yami wasn't aware of how long they stayed there, he only knew he wanted to protect her from everything she had ever been through. He wanted to shield her from all the pain and suffering. From all her memories of her father and what he did to her. But he couldn't, and he felt pain because of it.  
  
"Everything will be fine," he whispered.  
  
Kitty had her fingers on his throat and she smiled, resting her head against his chest. "Your voice..." she said, closing her eyes. "I know what it sounds like now. I never thought I'd be able to find out."  
  
After all she had just been through, she was still able to smile. Katrina was stronger than Yami had thought.  
  
"I don't want to go home," she said.  
  
"You don't have to. Not yet," Yami said, sitting her up. She looked at him with brown eyes that no one would ever suspect had seen anything but a normal life. He was impressed with how well she could hide her pain. But he didn't want her to hide it from him any more. He wanted to know what was happening. But he knew she would eventually tell him everything; there was no need to press for more now.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice a beautiful tone. Yami suspected she must have had a nice singing voice when she could hear. Now she would never have that back. And it was all because of her father.  
  
"It's two o' clock. Why don't we get lunch?" he suggested.  
  
Her eyes lit up as she smiled and nodded. "I'd like that," she said. "I didn't have breakfast. To tell you the truth, I was nervous about telling you about Dad." She blushed, but was unable to take her eyes off him or she wouldn't see his reply.  
  
"That's understandable. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but I'm glad you told me," he said.  
  
She smiled at him and he returned it. "I wish I could have just one night where I wasn't worried he'd kill me while I slept."  
  
"You will soon."  
  
"Your people must have loved you when you were pharaoh," she said with a warm smile.  
  
"I don't remember," he replied, though he was immensely flattered.  
  
"You don't remember anything?" she asked.  
  
Yami shook his head. "No. I only know that I was pharaoh."  
  
"Well, even if you don't remember, it's still really cool," she said, zipping her jacket. "Even if it does feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone."  
  
They both laughed and stood.  
  
"So, where are we going for lunch?" Kitty asked. "No place too expensive; I don't have too much money."  
  
"That's all right. I'll pay," Yami offered, and Kitty felt color flood through her face.  
  
"You mean with Yugi's money?" she asked and he chuckled.  
  
"We share it," he replied. "I know a nice coffee shop in town."  
  
"Sounds good," she said with a smile. He returned it and her heart skipped a beat. - Geez, I'm pathetic. -  
  
They walked a few minutes in silence before Kitty spoke. "Does the gang know about my father?"  
  
"No. I didn't tell them and neither did Yugi," he replied.  
  
"Thanks. You're the only one I've ever told this stuff to," she said, unsure of why she was saying this.  
  
Yami said nothing, only giving her a warm smile.  
  
"When I was in New York my best friend didn't even know. The reason we left was because people were beginning to get suspicious. Dad didn't want to get caught, so we moved. It didn't really matter to me; by the time we left I had no friends anymore anyway. They didn't know how to deal with my handicap, so they just avoided me," she said, her feelings she had built up over the years finally coming out. Realizing she was talking too much, she stopped. "Sorry," she said.  
  
"For what?" Yami asked.  
  
"I'm talking too much," she replied, going slightly red.  
  
"No, you're not. You need to talk about this. I understand that," he said.  
  
"If you get bored, just tell me to shut up, okay?" she said, looking at him.  
  
Yami chuckled. "If I get bored."  
  
They turned into a coffee shop and looked over the menu. After a few minutes, Yami asked her what she was getting.  
  
"I don't know," she signed. Now they were in a public place and she didn't want to be speaking there. "What are you getting?"  
  
"A BLT," he replied.  
  
"That sounds good," she signed.  
  
Yami told the man behind the counter their orders.  
  
"And to drink?" the man asked.  
  
"A hot chocolate," Kitty signed.  
  
Yami translated and got himself a cappuccino. Then, they walked over to a window booth and sat down.  
  
"What time will your father get home?" Yami asked.  
  
"In a few hours I think," Kitty signed.  
  
He nodded as a waiter brought their food over. "I'll walk you home at four then, all right?"  
  
Kitty nodded in thanks. "Thank you for doing this for me," she signed, then took a bite of her sandwich.  
  
Yami gave her a warm smile and they ate the rest of their meal in silence.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Yami and Kitty reached her door and they said good bye.  
  
"Katrina," Yami said, before she entered the house. "Program Yugi's number into your phone on speed dial. That way, if anything happens, you can call us and we'll come over."  
  
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I wish I could call just to talk."  
  
"Is your father going out again tomorrow?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know," she replied, her voice sweet, but strange.  
  
"If he is, ask your mother to call me. Maybe we can see a movie with our friends," Yami said.  
  
"I'd like that," Kitty said. "I'll see what I can do."  
  
Yami nodded and smiled before retreating to the driveway to make sure she got into the house all right. He then started home, hoping that the night wouldn't be too rough for her.  
  
Kitty entered and the first thing she saw made her heart practically stop...  
  
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a/n: Okay, that's the beginning of the end, so keep reviewing and I'll keep posting! 


	16. Escape

a/n: Okay, since all you nice reviewers are liking my story and want me to continue, here we go! (I can't believe most of you actually read my author's notes)  
  
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"And where have you been?" Katrina's father stood before her looking murderous.  
  
"Yugi was helping me study," she signed, glad she didn't have to form words in her throat through the tight knot.  
  
"Don't use all that stupid hand stuff with me!" he yelled, and grabbed her by the neck. He slammed her into the wall, then hit her in the face, causing her to fall.  
  
Kitty lay on the floor, too scared to move. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes squeezed shut. Yami's words echoed in her mind. "Until then you have to be strong. You must be able to withstand anything that comes your way..." She felt slightly stronger as she remembered what he had said. If Yami thought she could do it, then she could.  
  
Alan grabbed her hair and pulled her up, Katrina wincing. As he punched her in the stomach and then in the face, not a single tear fell from her eyes. He kicked her in the knee, and it was all she could do not to cry out from the excruciating pain. But she didn't. Not a sound left her throat.  
  
He threw her across the room and she landed hard on the floor. She looked up and saw him begin to advance on her. Then, she did something she had never done before. She got to her feet and ran. She didn't hear her father's yells as she sprinted up the stairs. Kitty wasn't even aware of the pain in her knee just then. All that mattered was escaping him.  
  
She made to her room and closed the door, locking it. She then ran to her closet and buried herself deep inside it after closing that door as well. Then she waited.  
  
Alan pounded on her bedroom door and shouted threats at her but she heard none of them. She simply sat in the back of her closet, hugging her knees and waiting.  
  
After a little while, Alan stopped, promising himself he would make her pay dearly for that in the morning.  
  
Unsure of whether or not he was still there, Kitty lay down in the closet and closed her eyes. She wouldn't open them again until the next morning.  
  
##################################################################################  
  
When Kitty opened her eyes, she saw darkness. She began to panic slightly, forgetting where she had spent the night. It was only when she felt around that she realized where she was. She opened the closet door and tried to stand. The first few times she collapsed from where her father had kicked her, but finally she managed to stay on her feet.  
  
Her mother was probably in her own room, still badly hurt from the night before. Kitty felt sorry for her, but knew she couldn't leave her room or risk her father.  
  
She looked at her watch, trying to steady herself against the bed. 10:12 a.m. Getting an idea, she moved to her window, limping slightly. With every step she was in pain, though she tried not to let it show, despite the fact that she was alone.  
  
She opened the window and noted the tree a little ways away. She had never tried this before because of her acrophobia, but now she felt as though she had to do it. As she reached to grab a branch, she caught a glimpse of the ground below her and she felt sick. Freezing for a second, she took a deep breath. Kitty forced herself to continue.  
  
She managed to grab onto the branch with only a slight grip on the window left. If she could swing her leg around the branch, she would be able to make it down.  
  
- One, - she counted to herself. - Two. Three! -  
  
She let go of the window and grabbed onto the branch with her other hand as well as swinging her leg around. She almost had it, but her foot slipped, resulting in her hanging by just her hands. Terrified of the height and her situation, she froze for a second. When her hands began to slip she got really scared.  
  
- Now what? - she thought, her eyes wide.  
  
Getting an idea, she began to shimmy to the tree trunk. At long last, she was close enough where she could attach herself to the tree. She wrapped her arms around it and breathed in relief. Now her only problem was getting the rest of the way down.  
  
It was at a height where she could have conceivably just dropped, but not with her knee so badly damaged. She doubted it was broken, but it felt badly inflamed.  
  
Well, she had to try something. She couldn't stay in the tree all day. Not after she had made it this far. Looking around her, she was not happy to see she was on the lowest branch. She tried to think of another way down and finally came up with something. It wouldn't be comfortable, but it might work.  
  
She positioned herself around the tree and closed her eyes as she began to slide down. Suddenly, a sharp piece of wood cut into her hand as she slid and cried out, letting go and falling the rest of the way. It wasn't too far, but when she landed on her feet, she collapsed from the pain.  
  
She struggled to stand, holding onto the tree for support. Her right knee was searing with pain, but she had been in worse situations. She took a step and she felt as though knives were being driven into her leg. She winced, but refused to let tears fall.  
  
Kitty managed to step away from the tree and begin down the road at a rather slow pace. She was limping, but it wasn't the first time she had been forced to.  
  
Somehow she made it into town and to the game shop. Hoping she didn't look too awful, she entered, trying her best to walk on both legs. Yugi's grandpa stood at the counter.  
  
He caught sight of her and rushed over. "What happened to you?" he asked, staring at her.  
  
- Do I really look that bad? - she wondered, looking over her shoulder at her reflection in the glass door. There was blood on her cheek from where her father had hit her and underneath it, a bruise was evident.  
  
"Yugi!" his grandpa called, leading Kitty to a chair. She forced herself to walk evenly, though it pained her greatly.  
  
Kitty looked at the stairs where Yugi now stood. "Kitty!" he cried, rushing down. "Are you okay?"  
  
She nodded as his grandpa went to get a damp cloth. The Millennium Puzzle glowed as the two switched.  
  
"You will be all right," Yami said as Yugi's grandpa came back and began to wipe the blood off Kitty's face. She winced slightly, but allowed him to continue.  
  
"What happened, Katrina?" Grandpa Motou asked.  
  
She forced herself to laugh slightly. "I fell out of a tree," she signed. "I'm really spastic."  
  
Yami translated and Grandpa Motou sighed.  
  
"You need to be more careful," he said. "Why don't you go upstairs? I have work to do."  
  
Yami and Kitty nodded and she tried to stand, only to fall back into the seat. Yami glanced over at the counter to see Yugi's grandpa disappear into the back.  
  
"Here," Yami said, putting her arm around his shoulders and helping her up. She gave him a weak smile as she was able to stand with his support.  
  
She took a few steps, but when she tried to put weight on her right leg, a searing pain spread through it. Her knee buckled, but Yami caught her before she hit the floor. He lifted her in his arms and carried her upstairs. Her heart fluttered as she leaned her head against his chest.  
  
He entered Yugi's room and lay her down on the bed. He then got up and closed the door.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, sitting beside her.  
  
"He was home when I got home last night," she said, sitting up and leaning against the head board. "I guess I estimated the time wrong."  
  
"Is he gone this morning?" Yami asked, feeling guilty, though he wasn't sure why.  
  
Kitty shook her head. "I climbed out the window," she replied. "Maybe I shouldn't have..." she started, feeling sort of stupid.  
  
"No," Yami interrupted. "You were right to do that. Had you stayed there you would only have been beaten more."  
  
"I'm sorry I'm weighing you down with all of this," she said.  
  
"You're not," he replied and she smiled gratefully.  
  
"Yami," she said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Don't tell the gang that I speak. I'd prefer to sign with them."  
  
Yami gave her a warm smile and nodded. "I won't tell them."  
  
"I wish I could be as calm and collected all the time like you," she said.  
  
Yugi phased out of Yami. - He's not like that /all/ the time! - he said with a smile.  
  
Yami chose to ignore his counter-part. He was about to speak when Kitty dug in her back pocket for something. She pulled out a key and handed it to him.  
  
"If I'm going to call you if something goes wrong, then you'll need a key to my house," she said.  
  
Yugi phased back into Yami, who nodded. "This will help," he said and she gave a small laugh. He put the key in his pocket and looked at her.  
  
She touched the bruise on her cheek lightly and closed her eyes, remembering the night before. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," she said opening her eyes.  
  
"You're doing well. We will get through this, I promise," Yami told her.  
  
"How?" she asked.  
  
Yami thought for a moment. "We will go to the police."  
  
Kitty shook her head. "He'd kill me," she said.  
  
- Well, that obviously won't work, - Yugi thought dryly. - Come on, Yami! Think of something! -  
  
"What if you didn't come home?" Yami asked.  
  
"He'd find me. Yami, I don't know if there's anything we /can/ do," she said.  
  
"There is! And we will find it! I promised I would and I never break a promise," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
She smiled. "I don't know if he's gone or not," she said. "If he's still at home..." she trailed off, knowing he was aware of what she meant.  
  
"You're in no condition to be walking, Katrina. Does he answer the phone?" he asked.  
  
"Um... not... not really, why?" she asked.  
  
"I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, getting up and going to the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked, sitting up. He didn't answer as he started down the stairs, closing the door behind him.  
  
She sighed, leaning back against the bed. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep. What did she ever do to deserve this?  
  
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Yami picked up the phone and dialed Kitty's number, hoping Kitty was right.  
  
"Hello?" It was a female voice.  
  
"Mrs. Lakewood?" Yami asked.  
  
"Yes, who's this?"  
  
"Yugi," he replied.  
  
"Hi! I-I'm sorry, Kitty can't talk... she's..." Eliza said.  
  
"I know she can't. She's here."  
  
"What?" Mrs. Lakewood cried. "Why? What happened?"  
  
"She climbed out her window. I know what's going on. I know what will happen if her father knows she's been gone. Can you get him out of the house for a little while?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know... I don't think so. Yugi, you have to understand something..." she started, but he cut her off.  
  
"There must be something you can do."  
  
There was silence for a second. "Can you keep her there tonight? I can do that much."  
  
"Yes. And tomorrow?"  
  
"Bring her by after school. He'll be gone then. Yugi, you can't tell anyone, not even the police, all right?" Mrs. Lakewood said.  
  
"I know. I'll take her home tomorrow," he said.  
  
"How is she? What happened? Why did she climb out her window?"  
  
"Her knee is inflamed. It will be all right in a few days though. I have some Aspirin. It helps reduce inflammation."  
  
"Okay. And, Yugi..." Eliza said.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Take care of her."  
  
"I will. Good bye," he said and they hung up.  
  
He started back up the stairs and entered Yugi's room once more. He stepped up beside the bed and looked at Kitty for a second. She was asleep. Her head was slightly to the side and her hand rested on her stomach. Yami went into the hall and opened a closet. Pulling another blanket from it, he went back into Yugi's room. He gently covered Kitty with it and he watched as she rolled her head to the other side, still asleep.  
  
"It will be all right," he told her softly. He sat down in Yugi's chair and watched her. There was a pain in his heart to see what she had to go through.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened and Joey and Tristan traipsed in. They were followed shortly by Tea and Bakura. They stopped immediately, though, when the saw Kitty. Joey raised his eyebrows and Yami stood.  
  
"You got something to tell us?" Joey asked.  
  
Yami searched for words. He couldn't tell them the truth. Kitty didn't want them to know.  
  
"Does Yugi know?" Tristan asked.  
  
Yami mentally slapped his forehead. "It's nothing like that, Tristan."  
  
"Well then, what?" Tea asked.  
  
- Maybe we should tell them, Yami. It's better than what they're thinking now, - Yugi said and Yami knew he had a point. But how could he tell them when Kitty had told him not to?  
  
He looked at her briefly, then turned back to the gang. "I can't tell you right now," he said.  
  
"Huh? Why not?" Joey asked.  
  
"I can't explain. You will know soon enough," Yami said.  
  
"Right," Tea said, confused. "So, uh, now what?"  
  
"You should leave. Katrina needs to rest."  
  
"Why? What happened?" Bakura asked.  
  
"I can't tell you right now. Please, just go," Yami said.  
  
"O-okay," Tea said. "Uh, see you later I guess."  
  
"Yeah, bye," Joey said, confused.  
  
"If you need our help, you know you can call us," Tristan said.  
  
"Thank you, Tristan," Yami replied.  
  
The friends left, feeling very confused.  
  
"What was that about?" Tristan asked as they left the shop.  
  
"I don't know," Tea replied.  
  
"Yami's not telling us something," Joey said.  
  
"But what?" Tea asked. The others just shrugged.  
  
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a/n: Okay, next chapter, more stuff goes on. (duh) Don't forget to REVIEW!! It's necessary for me to continue you know. 


	17. Nightmare

a/n: I don't like this chapter. Just so you know, it wasn't really what I expected to write, sooooo, sorry about that!  
  
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Yugi was working on his computer while Kitty slept. He was writing his history essay that was due next week. He sighed as he rested his forehead in his hands, trying to think of something else to write.  
  
Yami was looking over his shoulder in spirit form, reading as Yugi typed.  
  
"Yami, that's very disconcerting," Yugi said, looking at the spirit.  
  
Yami chuckled. "I'm sorry." He walked over where Kitty lay and looked at her. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she looked slightly rigid.  
  
"Is she okay?" Yugi asked, coming up beside him.  
  
"She will be once we think of something."  
  
Katrina rolled her head quickly to the other side and Yugi touched her hand in sympathy. Suddenly, she cried out and ripped her hand away from him. She was breathing heavily and she was tossing back and forth.  
  
Yugi tried to grab her shoulders to wake her up, but she kept hitting him away and struggling against him.  
  
"Kitty!" he cried.  
  
"Yugi, let me," Yami said, taking over.  
  
He managed to take hold of her shoulders and pull her into a sitting position. "Katrina," he said, gently shaking her. She was struggling against him and screaming for him to go away.  
  
"Katrina!" Yami said, shaking her harder.  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut harder and put her hands over her ears.  
  
"No, no, no," she moaned, shaking. She finally opened her eyes and looked at him.  
  
"It's all right," he said, sitting down on the bed and pulling her into a hug. She buried her face in his chest and cried. His heart pained for her as he held her tightly.  
  
They sat there for a few minutes, Yami gently stroking her hair. Finally, she pulled away and looked at him. She wiped away her tears and leaned against the headboard, wrapping her arms around her waist.  
  
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked softly.  
  
"A few hours. You needed it," Yami replied. "Here, take these. It'll help reduce the pain in your knee." He handed her two pills and a glass of water.  
  
She smiled graciously and took them. "I feel really stupid," she said, staring at the water.  
  
He took it from her, making her look at him. "Don't," he said. "You'll be all right."  
  
"How do you know? How do you know the moment I get home, Dad won't just..." she faltered, unable to get the last words out.  
  
"Because he doesn't know you're gone. You're staying here for the night. Your mother said she would be able to keep him unaware for that long. I'll walk you home after school."  
  
Kitty put a hand over her mouth. "Mom is so stupid! If she gets in his way too much, he'll do the same to her as he does to me! I can't let him do that! He'd... he'd kill her!" she cried. She tried to get up, but he pulled her back.  
  
"She'll be fine. And so will you," he said.  
  
Kitty gave him a small smile and leaned against the headboard again. "So now what?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Are you hungry?" he asked.  
  
She nodded slightly. "A little."  
  
"I'll get something for you to eat," he said. He left the room and she watched him close the door behind him.  
  
- Why can I still feel it? It still hurts, even though it happened years ago! Why did this happen to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? -  
  
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a/n: Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one is where I know what I want to write. So, the next one should be longer. It'll start at school I think... well, we'll see. Review and I'll post! 


	18. Confession Of A Different Sort

a/n: This will be an interesting chapter. The next one however, won't be quite as nice...  
  
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Katrina walked to school with Yami the next day in silence. It was so awkward, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Her knee felt better, though when she put too much weight on it, it still hurt.  
  
They reached the school a little while later and Joey, Tea, Tristan and Bakura stood at the doors, waiting for them.  
  
"Hey!" Tea said waving.  
  
Kitty smiled and waved back, followed shortly by Yami.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Bakura asked Kitty as they headed into the school.  
  
She looked at him quizzically. "What?" she signed.  
  
"You were asleep at Yugi's," Tea replied.  
  
Kitty snapped her head in Yami's direction, confused and nervous. "What?" she signed.  
  
"They came over when you were asleep," he explained, feeling uncomfortable. "They didn't stay long."  
  
"Oh," she signed, unsure if she was relieved or not. "Um, yeah, I'm feeling better," she signed to them.  
  
Now it was their turn to look at her quizzically. She knew they could sense that something was wrong and she hoped they wouldn't press the subject.  
  
"That's... good," Tristan said and Kitty breathed slightly in relief. Though she could see plainly he didn't believe her.  
  
The Millennium Puzzle glowed as Yami and Yugi switched. The group then split up to go to separate classes. Kitty went with Yugi and Tristan while Tea, Joey and Bakura went in the opposite direction.  
  
Tea looked over her shoulder at the deaf girl as she walked away. "Hey, Joey," she said, looking at him.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Why is Kitty limping?" she asked.  
  
Both boys turned to look at Kitty as she turned the corner.  
  
"Hey, you're right!" Joey said, turning back to Tea.  
  
"I don't think I believe Kitty. I think something's wrong," Bakura said.  
  
"Yeah, she's lying," Joey said.  
  
"As much as I don't want to admit it, but I think you're right, Joey. Something's happening with Kitty and I want to know what it is," Tea said as they walked into class.  
  
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))  
  
Kitty headed out of the school and met Yami at the bus stop. They nodded at each other and started to her house.  
  
"I don't want to go home," Kitty said after a while.  
  
She looked at him as he spoke. "We will find a way out of this."  
  
"You keep saying that, but I don't see a way," she said.  
  
"We'll find one," he said, slightly more forcefully.  
  
She nodded, but Yami could see she didn't believe it anymore. They turned the corner and they could see her house down the block. Suddenly, Kitty stopped.  
  
"I can go the rest of the way myself," she said, turning to him. He looked down to her house and saw what was the matter. There was a truck in the driveway.  
  
"All right. Be careful, Katrina," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
She nodded and started walking away, Yami looking after her. She walked for a few seconds, then turned and ran back to him. She didn't know what made her do it. She just suddenly got a feeling that this might be her only chance...  
  
Katrina ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him dead on the lips. Shocked, Yami grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away. She paused a second looking into his surprised eyes. Then she turned and ran down the street towards her house.  
  
"Katrina!" Yami called after her, aware it wouldn't do any good. He sighed, watching her turn up her driveway and quickly enter her house without a look back.  
  
"It looks like you've gained more than just her trust, Yami."  
  
Yami turned to see Yugi standing beside him, slightly transparent. "She's confused, Yugi. That's all," he said, turning and walking back the way he had come.  
  
"That didn't look like she was confused at all!" Yugi said, walking beside him.  
  
Yami sighed again. "She said I'm the only one who's ever known about this. The fact that I'm a male might have her slightly unsure of her feelings."  
  
Yugi considered this a moment. "Oh," he said. "Well, okay." With that, he phased back into the pharaoh, leaving him to walk home alone. Or, as alone as possible.  
  
Before he turned the corner again, Yami stopped and looked over his shoulder at her house. He stood there a second before he realized he should be getting home. He turned and continued on his way.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
a/n: Bit of a daring move on Kitty's part. Want to find out what happens next? Well, you have to review... 


	19. The Call

a/n: There's only about three more chapters after this. Here is where things get deadly serious. So, read and review, or I won't post the end. I'd grin evilly, but this chapter has me down right now. Funny how your own writing has that effect on you. Or, maybe it's just me. Anyways, this is going to be fairly depressing and... er... well, just read it, okay?  
  
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Katrina ran through the front door, pulling it shut on her way. She flew up the stairs and closed herself in her room before she even saw her parents. On her way, she grabbed the cordless phone.  
  
She leaned against her door, looking at the phone. She put her fingers to her lips, then squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
- How could I have done that? What's wrong with me? How will I ever speak to him again? - Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and there was a lump in her throat. He felt nothing for her and she knew it. How could he?  
  
She forced herself to calm down as she began to press buttons on the phone. She programmed Yugi's number into it, then walked over to her bed. She sank down onto the edge of the bed and stared at the phone.  
  
Yugi would know. And so would his friends. Why had she been so stupid as to do that? She would never be able to face them again. How could she?  
  
She put the phone on the bed next to her and wiped her face dry. She would have to figure something out to avoid them, but now was not the time.  
  
She stood and noticed her knee had almost completely healed. She made her way downstairs to see her mom. She wouldn't tell her what she had done, but talking to her mom sometimes made her feel better. She forgot about who's car was in the driveway.  
  
She started down the stairs, looking straight ahead into the living room. Her mom wasn't sitting on the couch watching TV like she usually was.  
  
- Hm... - she thought, things still not registering. The memory of what she had just done clouded her mind.  
  
She turned towards the kitchen to see if her mom was there making dinner. She entered and immediately put a hand to her mouth. Her father was holding a knife and threatening her with it. His back was towards Katrina, so she didn't know what he was saying. Katrina tried to back out of the room, but he heard her. He turned around and in a few long strides grabbed her shirt collar.  
  
Suddenly Kitty remembered his car in the driveway. It was too late to do anything about it now, she would just have to deal with it.  
  
"Where were you last night, Katrina?" he asked, slamming her into the wall.  
  
Her eyes widened and she stared at him, horrified.  
  
"That's right, I know. You lied to me and your mother lied for you. You never should have done that, Katrina. That was very a very stupid move," he snarled, lifting her off the ground slightly by her shirt.  
  
It wasn't this that worried Kitty. It was the knife he was playing with in his other hand. He pulled his arm back to stab her, but Eliza jumped up and grabbed his arm.  
  
"Alan, no!" she cried.  
  
"Let go of me woman!" he yelled, dropping Kitty and throwing her mother across the room.  
  
Eliza slid along the linoleum a few inches, not daring to look up. Alan forgot about Kitty for a moment and stormed over to her mother, pulling her up by her hair.  
  
"I should have done this a long time ago," he snarled. His arm came back, then plunged the knife into her stomach.  
  
"Mom!" Kitty screamed.  
  
Eliza's eyes grew wide as her husband removed the knife, the blade now stained with blood. She put her hand over the wound, blood pouring out over it. Slowly she dropped to her knees, then crumpled to the ground unmoving.  
  
"No!" Kitty cried, tears starting to flow down her face. She struggled to get up as her father turned to her. She managed to stand, but her father brought the knife down on her, cutting a large gash into her shoulder. She cried out and ran into the living room. Her father caught up to her quickly because of the injury to her knee that had not fully recovered.  
  
He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, cracking her neck in several places. He cut into her back, blood shooting out onto his shirt. He threw her to the ground and she immediately scrambled away, trying to stand again. She made it to the stairs and ran up them, her father behind her. She didn't hear him yelling obscene things at her, or threatening to cause her to meet the same fate as her mother.  
  
Kitty made it into her room and tried to close the door, but he stopped it. She didn't continue to try, instead, she ran to the bed, grabbing the phone. Before she could dial Yugi's number, her father slashed her side. She fell, her hand over her new wound. Alan pulled her up by her shirt and threw her onto the bed. She took this opportunity to press the speed dial. Unaware, he ripped her from the bed and threw her across the room.  
  
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Yugi was trying to write his history essay and he wasn't getting very far. He sat at his computer, chin in his hand, staring at the screen.  
  
"Why couldn't they have thought of something more interesting to work on? This is so boring," he grumbled.  
  
Yami chuckled. He sat on Yugi's bed, every once in a while giving him a few tips that didn't help him in the slightest.  
  
The phone rang and Yugi punched the speakerphone. His grandpa had given him his own line after he had gotten tired of having the gang calling the shop and interrupting important calls.  
  
"Hello?" he said, bored. There was no answer on the other end. "Hello?" he asked, looking at the phone. "Is anyone there?"  
  
Yami's head suddenly snapped up. "Yugi, be quiet," he said, walking quickly over to the phone. He leaned over it as Yugi looked at him, confused.  
  
"What is it, Yami?" he asked.  
  
As if to answer his question, they heard a cry over the line. "Dad! No!"  
  
They stared at each other, panic spreading across their faces. "Katrina!" they cried in unison.  
  
They both jumped up and ran for the bedroom door at top speed, not even bothering to hang up the phone. Yugi's grandpa was at the counter as Yugi and Yami sped down the stairs.  
  
"Where are you going in such a..." he said as he saw Yugi dash out of the store. "Hurry," he finished as the door swung closed.  
  
Yami and Yugi ran at top speed down the street towards Katrina's house. Yugi was filled with worry, but he felt Yami's growing anger. He looked at the spirit out of the corner of his eye and saw the Sennan Eye glowing on his forehead. Without warning, Yami took over. His anger was almost overwhelming for Yugi and he had to retreat deeper into his mind. He knew the Sennan Eye was still burning on the spirit's forehead.  
  
The only thought going through Yami's mind was that he had to get to her. He had to help her before it was too late. She wouldn't have called him for no reason, not right after what she had done. It was serious and he had to help her.  
  
He didn't stop running until he reached her house. Breathing hard, he tried the doorknob. Not surprisingly, it was locked. He heard a scream from inside and his panic grew. He remembered the key she had given him and quickly dug in his pocket for it. He inserted it into the doorknob and the door swung open. Yami resisted the urge to call out her name. She wouldn't hear it and it would only alert her father he was there. He heard another scream from upstairs and he started up them.  
  
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a/n: Will he get there in time? What's gonna' happen? To find out, you're gonna' have to review. 


	20. Fury

a/n: If you thought the last chapter was depressing, you're really gonna' hate this one. This is the part of the story that I've been wanting to write.  
  
Oh, before we get started with the depressing stuff, let me just tell you... this fic is the fic of the week!! I'm so happy! Hikari Kitten has a weekly thingy she sends to her mailing list and on it is says that "No Words To Describe by Greenwood Dancer" is the "Fic Of The Week!" I'm excited! Thank you Hikari! *beams*  
  
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Katrina had cuts down her arms and back; all of them would need stitches if she got out of this alive. Her father threw her to the ground and leaned over her. He slid the tip of the knife across her chest slowly to drag out the pain. He tore her shirt open and ignored her cries. Her grabbed her face and forced it up towards him. He pressed his lips against hers violently, then pulled away. He ran his knife over her shoulder and down her arm, making her cry out in pain.  
  
He tore away the rest of her shirt and proceeded to run his knife over her stomach and chest. He was bending down to kiss her lips again when he suddenly collapsed on top of her and didn't move. Kitty's eyes were closed but when she felt him get pushed off her, she opened them to see Yami kneeling over her.  
  
"Katrina!" he cried, touching her face.  
  
The floor beneath her was beginning to get stained with her blood and she was fading fast. She looked up at him, giving him a weak smile, before her head rolled to the side and her eyes didn't open again.  
  
"Katrina!" he yelled, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her slightly.  
  
Suddenly, he felt something collide with his head and he was knocked away from her. Yami looked up to see Alan standing over him, the knife in his hand. He was twirling it in his fingers, the blade stained with his daughter's blood. Yami felt anger surge through him and he stood up.  
  
Alan lunged at him with the knife, but Yami grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He rammed Alan into the wall and lifted his arm that was still behind his back. The older man cried out and dropped the knife. Yami kicked it away, but as his attention was diverted, Alan got free, grabbing him by the throat. Struggling for breath, Yami grabbed his shirt and punched him in the face.  
  
- Yami! What are you doing? - Yugi cried.  
  
- I want him to know the same pain he inflicted on Katrina, - he snarled as he punched Alan in the stomach, causing the older man to stumble backwards, bent over. Yami kneed him in the face.  
  
- Send him to the Shadow Realm! That'll do the same pain, Yami! - Yugi cried desperately.  
  
- Not well enough, - Yami replied.  
  
Alan saw the knife to the side and quickly skidded over and grabbed it. He held it threateningly towards Yami and sneered.  
  
"Do you really want to challenge me? Think about that a minute," Alan said, jabbing the knife in his direction, making Yami jump backwards slightly. "Fool," he sneered.  
  
Yami glared him, his anger growing still. "We'll see who's the fool," he replied as the two of them started to circle each other.  
  
- Yami, be careful! - Yugi said.  
  
Alan swiftly moved forward and slashed Yami's arm, making him grab it in pain. Fury blazed in the pharaoh's eyes as he moved forward, grabbing Alan's wrist that held the knife. He managed to twist it and Alan dropped it once more. Before Kitty's father could pull away, Yami grabbed his thumb and bent it backwards, causing him to scream in pain.  
  
With his other hand, he punched Yami in the stomach, who then stumbled backwards, letting go of Alan. Taking advantage of this moment, Alan grabbed his shirt and punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.  
  
- Yami! Please, just send him to the Shadow Realm! - Yugi begged, but Yami didn't listen.  
  
Yami got up off the floor quickly and saw that Alan once more had his knife in his hand. Alan came at him again and Yami ducked, getting only a small cut across his cheek. He spun around Alan so he was behind him. When Kitty's father turned around, Yami punched him in the face, making him stumble backwards into the bed. He had managed to hit Alan in the nose and he pulled his hand away, bloody.  
  
Before he could move, Yami lunged at him and closed one hand around his throat while the other held Alan's wrist. He dug his fingers into the underside of his wrist and Alan cried out through Yami's choking him. He dropped the knife and Yami kicked it across the floor once again. Alan managed to get enough strength to throw Yami off of him, sending the pharaoh sliding across the floor.  
  
Realizing he was right next to the knife, he grabbed it and stood up. His left sleeve was drenched in his blood now and Alan had blood pouring down from his nose.  
  
Alan laughed at Yami when he held the knife in front of him threateningly. "You don't know how to use that," he said. "Why don't you give it back to it's rightful owner."  
  
"You're not the rightful owner of anything, Lakewood," Yami snarled.  
  
"Fine then," Alan replied. "I can take you down even without it."  
  
He lunged at Yami, who dodged it easily. He grabbed one of Yami's arms, knowing that he could full well stab him. They froze that way for a second, Alan holding on with a death grip and Yami holding the knife above his head, ready to plunge it into his enemy.  
  
- Yami, no! - Yugi cried. - You can't! -  
  
Slowly, Alan began to grin, knowing Yami wouldn't stab him. But, before he could do anything, Yami had slammed him against the wall and had the knife pressed against his throat. Once more they froze, Yami breathing heavily with rage.  
  
"You idiot. You fool. You won't kill me. You don't have the guts," Alan sneered as Yami pressed the knife to his throat harder.  
  
- Yami, please! Don't! This isn't you! - Yugi pleaded.  
  
Yami glared at him one final time. Then, in one swift move, he removed the knife from his throat and slammed Alan's head into the wall. The older man collapsed to the ground and didn't move. Yami kicked him one last time to get his rage out, then remembered Katrina.  
  
He turned and ran back to her, dropping to his knees. She lay in a pool of her own blood and she hadn't moved from the position he had left her in. He immediately grabbed her wrist, pressing his fingers to it. Her pulse was weak, but it was still there.  
  
"Katrina," he said, putting a hand to her face. Then he jumped up and grabbed the phone off the bed. He dialed 911 and gave them the address and quickly told them what happened. He hung up and dropped back down to Kitty's side.  
  
Yugi phased out of him, hand over his mouth in worry. "Yami... is she okay?" he asked, his heart pounding with fear.  
  
Yami pressed his fingers against her wrist again. "Her pulse is weakening by the second," he said, anger and fear in his eyes. "Katrina, fight it... you can't let him win!" he said, touching her face.  
  
"Is there something you can do?" Yugi asked, looking at her.  
  
"She losing blood, Yugi. There's nothing I can do," the spirit replied.  
  
"What about pressure? If you applied pressure to her cuts..." Yami cut off the younger boy.  
  
"There's too many, Yugi! It wouldn't do any good! I can't do anything! Katrina's dying and I can't do anything!" he cried, clenching his fist.  
  
"No! She can't die!" Yugi cried.  
  
"She can and she will if the ambulance doesn't get here in time," Yami replied, his heart beating with fear. After all she had been through and all she had dealt with, she couldn't die now.  
  
Yami pressed his fingers to her wrist again and her pulse was fading fast. Now it was so weak he could barely feel it.  
  
"I should have thought of something sooner," Yami said through clenched teeth. "If she dies it'll be my fault!"  
  
"Yami, no! You did what you could!" Yugi said.  
  
"No! I could have done more! If I had, this wouldn't have happened," he said.  
  
They heard footsteps coming up the stairs and soon medics were in the room, lifting Katrina onto a stretcher. Yami stood and watched as they carried her down the stairs.  
  
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a/n: Yeah, uh, these chapters are kinda' depressing. But, uh, if you want to read the end, you have to review, okay?  
  
How was my fight scene? That's the first time I've ever written something like that. Actually, once I finish this fic, that'll be the first story I've ever finished in my entire life! Anyways, I found I couldn't look at the screen while I typed the abusive part. I dunno, maybe it's cause I've never written anything that (horrific?) before. Oh well. Enough of my rambling. Review! 


	21. Hospital

a/n: I know you all hate my cliffhangers, especially so close to the end, so here's the second to last chapter. The next one will be THE END. Don't forget to review....  
  
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Yami sat in the waiting room with Tea, Tristan, Joey, Bakura and Yugi's grandpa. He had called them and told them to come to the hospital immediately. When they arrived, he had told them everything that had gone on between Kitty and her father.  
  
They now sat in silence, waiting for the doctor to give them a report. Yugi's grandpa had taken care of the paperwork and insurance.  
  
Yami hoped desperately that it wasn't too late. He felt responsible. If he had gotten there sooner, or if he had thought of a way to save her, she wouldn't be in the hospital right now.  
  
A doctor came down the hall, carrying a clipboard. He dropped it off at the front desk, then came over to the gang. Yami stood up immediately and Joey and Tristan followed suit.  
  
"Is she okay?" Tea asked before the doctor could speak.  
  
"She's lost a lot of blood, and she'll need stitches in many places, but yes, she'll be fine," the doctor replied.  
  
Yami sighed in relief and sank back into the chair. Joey and Tristan cheered and punched the air while Bakura and Tea hugged each other.  
  
"How long will it take before we can see her?" Yami asked.  
  
"It would be best if you came back tomorrow. She'll need her rest after all of this is over," the doctor replied.  
  
Yami nodded reluctantly and stood. They left the building a few minutes later.  
  
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Something was on her hand. She tried to move it away, but it wouldn't let go. She moved it more and she felt something else go to her shoulder as well. It shook her lightly and she forced herself to open her eyes. Yami stood above her and he smiled when she looked at him.  
  
"Yami," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"I'm here," he said, taking his hand off her shoulder and touching her face.  
  
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, not fully aware of her situation yet.  
  
"About a day," he replied.  
  
She nodded slightly and closed her eyes for a second. "What happened? I remember up to when... when..." she said, but she couldn't get the words out.  
  
"I know," Yami said, not sure how to tell her. He thought about what to say, but she spoke again.  
  
"Where's mom? Is she okay?" she asked, looking into Yami's eyes.  
  
He sat back down in his chair and broke eye contact. He tightened his grip slightly on her hand and she felt it.  
  
"She's okay, right? She made it the hospital and she's going to be okay, right?" she asked, panic growing in her voice. The heart monitor beeped as her pulse sped up.  
  
Yami's eyes flicked to the machine, then to her. "I'm sorry. She was dead by the time the ambulance got there," he said, his heart hurting for her.  
  
"No!" she cried, taking her hand out of Yami's and putting it over her mouth. Tears started to pour down her face and the heart monitor started going crazy.  
  
Telling her to calm down wouldn't do any good, so Yami just pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. Yami hurt for her and he wished he could make it all never have happened. But he couldn't and Katrina had lost her mother and almost her own life.  
  
She pulled out of his arms and looked him dead in the eyes. "Where's dad?"  
  
Yami's eyes darkened at the memory of him. "He'll be sent to prison, most likely for life."  
  
Kitty nodded as more tears fell from her eyes. "He killed mom," she said, her face in her hands. "And he tried to kill me! And worse," she choked.  
  
Anger grew inside him as he remembered what her father had almost done. He didn't know what to say to her, though, so he remained silent.  
  
"Where will I go now?" she asked, looking at him. "I'll be sent to an orphanage!"  
  
"No, you won't. Yugi's grandpa has said that you'll stay with us," Yami said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Kitty looked at him, a new expression in her eyes. "What?" she asked softly.  
  
Yami nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yes."  
  
Unsure of what else to do, Kitty flung her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. The heart monitor was calming down and soon everything would be all right.  
  
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a/n: All right. So, that's the status of her family now. There is one more chapter left. I just know you're all going to love that one... so review and I'll post the very end. 


	22. Homecoming

a/n: This is the last chapter and my personal favorite. Read and review! And I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would recommend me so I still get reviews after I've finished writing. Thanks a whole lot!  
  
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ONE WEEK LATER...  
  
~~  
  
"Hey guys! Get ready! Grandpa's here!"  
  
Yugi and his friends had all gathered around the center of the shop. They had spent the day decorating and preparing a welcome home party for Katrina. Yugi turned off the light and Joey groped around in the dark for the string that would pull the confetti down. That had been Yami's brilliant idea. It had taken them about two hours to hook up the contraption. Of course, Yami was only giving the instructions, leaving it to Yugi and his friends to actually /do/ it.  
  
"Hey, Yug! A little light here?" Joey asked, still looking around for the string in the dark.  
  
"Oh, sorry, Joey," Yugi said, grinning as he turned on the light. It turned out the string had been right in front of Joey's face.  
  
"Oh, there it is," he said, taking hold of it and giving an embarrassed laugh. The rest of the friends laughed as Yugi turned off the light again. He made his way to the gang, his arms out in front of him.  
  
Yugi collided with someone and jumped back, stepping on someone else's foot. "Sorry!" he cried as Tristan cried out in pain. Tristan hopped on one foot and started moving backwards, running into Tea.  
  
"Hey!" she cried, knocking Bakura into Joey, who pulled the string.  
  
"Oh no!" he cried just as the door opened and the light flicked on. Katrina and Yugi's grandpa stood in the doorway in the midst of the confetti. "Uhhh, surprise!" Joey said, giving an embarrassed grin.  
  
Katrina looked up at the ceiling and lifted her hands slightly, letting the confetti fall into them. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked at her friends, standing around in a weird semi-circle. Some of them were still blushing from stepping on each other.  
  
Tea was the first one to react. She pushed out from behind Tristan and stepped to the front of the semi-circle. "Welcome home, Kitty!" she said and Katrina put her hand to her mouth and looked at the ceiling again where a few stray pieces of confetti still hung in the contraption.  
  
When she looked back at her friends, she put her hand to her mouth and moved it away to sign "thank you."  
  
"Come on, there's a cake and everything!" Yugi said and Kitty beamed, going slightly red in the face.  
  
"Yeah, cake!" Joey exclaimed and he and Tristan punched the air.  
  
Yugi's grandpa gently pushed Kitty forward and she walked over to the gang. She and Tea hugged each other, both smiling.  
  
Grandpa Motou went into the back room and came out a few minutes later with the cake. He set it on the counter and immediately Joey ran over to it and grabbed the knife. Kitty laughed, putting a hand over her mouth lightly.  
  
"Wait a minute, Joey," Yugi said. "Kitty should cut it!"  
  
Kitty stared at him, then shook her head. "No, that's okay," she signed.  
  
"Nah, here," Joey said, handing her the knife. "I can't cut straight anyway."  
  
She looked at the gang for a second, before slicing the cake into eight pieces. After everyone had gotten one, there was still a piece left. One that Joey and Tristan would fight over later. There were chairs set in a circle in the middle of the room and they each took one, while Grandpa Motou stood behind the counter. They had closed the store for the party, but he wanted to give the teens some privacy. After he finished his cake, he left into the back room.  
  
Kitty looked up at the contraption on the ceiling and turned to Yugi. "That's a good idea," she signed.  
  
"Thanks," he said. "Yami thought of it."  
  
She bent her head down to take another bite of her cake so they wouldn't see her blush. She didn't see Tea elbow Bakura and nod her head in her direction with a grin.  
  
She raised her head again and smiled. "Thanks you guys. I don't know how I would have survived if I had to do this alone," she signed.  
  
"No problem," Joey said.  
  
"What are friends for?" Tea asked with a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry I lied to you guys," she signed.  
  
"That's okay. We understand," Bakura said, smiling and she returned it.  
  
"I think I can qualify this as the best day of my life," Kitty signed, beaming at everyone.  
  
"Us too!" they said in unison. Then, they all just laughed.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Bye Kitty! We'll see you in school!" Tea called as she and the rest of the gang left the shop. It was late and the party was over. Kitty wished it could have gone on forever, though she knew that was impossible. But she also knew this was the beginning of a new life... a better life. One she might live through.  
  
She waved to them and watched as the walked down the sidewalk and out of sight. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Yami. Immediately her face started to flush.  
  
"Welcome home," he said, giving her a smile. He then turned and started up the stairs to his room.  
  
She stared after him for a second, then followed him in a hurry. She caught up with him at the top of the stairs and he turned to her.  
  
"This is your room," he said, indicating the room on his right.  
  
She looked briefly at it, then back at him. She couldn't place it, but the silence felt more awkward then usual.  
  
"Um, that was a really good idea... the confetti I mean," she said.  
  
"Thank you," he said. He just stood there, not saying anything, but not leaving either.  
  
"Um, thanks for this," she said, feeling rather stupid.  
  
He just nodded and she sensed what it was that was making this so awkward.  
  
She sighed. "It's because of what I did, isn't it?" she asked, feeling color rise into her face.  
  
He held eye contact and simply said, "Yes."  
  
"I'm sorry I just had to..." she started quickly, but she was cut off by his lips on hers. He put his hand on her cheek and she found herself leaning into it as well. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. The kiss was soft and sweet and she felt her heart race as he held her.  
  
She knew this was where she had wanted to be for a long time. In his arms... safe... from everything and anything... she was home.  
  
THE END  
  
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a/n: I just love happy endings, don't you? I've been listening to the Braveheart Theme the entire time I was writing this. If you read the part where Yami kisses her right when the music picks up, you get this sense like you're watching it on TV or something and the camera's spinning around them. You know what I mean? I loved writing this and I hope you loved reading it.  
  
If you like my writing style, why not check out my other fics?  
  
Dilemma -Yami-OC - I'm not sure if I want to make a sequel for this, but I have a while to decide because there are a lot more chapters.  
  
An Unlikely Friendship - Bakura-OC - This one will have a sequel. It's sequel is going to be really depressing though.  
  
Nothing To Look At - no pairings, but Seto is a main character as well as my OC  
  
A Love You Can't Touch - Pharaoh Yami-OC - This will also have a sequel. (My readers think this is a happy fic, and from the first number of chapters, it has a lot of humor in it, but it will soon take a dramatic turn...)  
  
Thank you all for reviewing, I greatly appreciate it. If any of you wish to contact me, go to my bio... my e-mail is there along with numerous funnies. C ya! ^_^  
  
~ Greenwood Dancer ~ 


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